Fall of the Lightning Count
by Kaiser Chris
Summary: Zechs Merquise the Lightning Count, a legendary MS Ace and hero of OZ. In July of AC 195, Zechs chose to commit treason against OZ, defying the Romefeller Foundation for honor in order to duel a Gundam. What Zechs did not predict that others would find fault with his actions, and strike him down for consorting with the Gundams. A mistake that cost him his life. (AU miniseries)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, this here is a mini-series scenario for Gundam Wing called "Fall of the Lightning Count." It's a certain AU scenario that follows the premise of legendary mobile suit pilot Zechs Merquise being killed, not in combat though, rather in an act of vengeance by one of his own subordinates. This mainly takes place during Episode 16 "The Sorrowful Battle", right before the duel between Zechs and Heero. It's a divergence that takes place mainly due to one of the soldiers of OZ actually having a brain, and taking revenge for the Gundam attacks. The purpose of this is to eventually build into another story called "Knights of Romefeller", which is an OZ-centric tale based on this as the POD. Now sit back and enjoy (apologies to all Zechs fans for what is about to take place).**

 **July 22nd, AC 195. Buenos Aires, Argentina.**

On the outskirts of the Argentinian capital sat the Jose de San Martin Airbase, or San Martin for short. The previous year the base's name was El Paramor, having served as the prime stronghold of the Argentinian Air Force since the days of the Junta Era in the late 20th century. In After Colony it was also the home base for the Alliance 57th Air Brigade, enforcing the rule of the United Earth Sphere Alliance throughout the La Plata region in South America. This changed in the last month with the fall of the Alliance due to an internal Coup de'tat from the Organization of Zodiac (OZ) in Operation Daybreak, a global insurrection designed to cripple Alliance leadership and place OZ, and by extension their backers in the Romefeller Foundation, in charge. In the hours after Daybreak San Martin and the rest of Argentina's military installations were spared any conflict due to the Argentine government unilaterally seceding from the Alliance, declaring a re-establishment of direct sovereignty and a partnership with Romefeller. Now the ruling far-right regime, _La Fiesta Patriotica_ , used San Martin as a forward base to wage war against Uruguay in their grand designs of conquering nearby states to form _La Republica Unida de Rio de La Plata_ , the front-lines themselves only dozens of kilometers from the capitol.

Another noticeable change to the base was the active presence of near 100 OZ-06 MS Leo and OZ-07 AMS Aires mobile suits. The mobile suits were provided by the Romefeller Foundation as a sort of gift in thanks to Argentina's close partnership with the foundation, 36 of the Aires suits were maintained and crewed by a local OZ unit, sent to ensure the new world order and help eliminate the Alliance remnants active in Uruguay and Paraguay. But this story isn't about the men and women who served at San Martin, rather it is about a single man who shall shortly arrive. A man whose actions hours ago will change the very destiny of After Colony as they knew it.

In the control tower of the base sat a group of soldiers monitoring all flights coming to and from the base. The day had been rather slow with only a couple of manned missions to the North, all of which resulted in high success for the pilots of OZ and Argentina. Before Daybreak most of the Alliance's air units along the eastern coast of South America had resided in either Argentina or Brazil. Both states had since severed all ties to the dying Alliance in declaring their loyalty to Romefeller, Brazil reestablishing the Empire under popular General Pedro de Braganza, now known as Dom Pedro III. With little more than a few outdated jet fighters against the far superior Aires mobile suits, the Paraguayans and Uruguayans were fighting a losing battle.

Off in the far right corner of the control tower, a lone Argentine Corporal yawned in boredom of the current situation. "I'm Booooorrrreeedd!" said the young man, Corporal Luis Santiago.

"Quit your whining _soldat_ , would you rather be off in the front lines and picked off by a Uruguayan sniper?" asked his superior sitting right next to him, a German Auxiliary Sub-Officer named Levi Strauss. Strauss came from the city of Dresden in Germany, and due to the globalist nature of the Alliance was deployed to Argentina when he enrolled in the Alliance Air Force. Strauss began to slowly fall in love with the country over the years on his tours in South America, him becoming especially attached after falling in love with a beautiful Latina from Buenos Aires named Elena, marrying her the last year. After Daybreak and Argentina's subsequent secession, Strauss decided to stay with his wife in her homeland and enlist in the Argentine Air Force, much to the dismay of his family in his native homeland.

"Yes, anything to get away from this lame desk job. And for your information I wouldn't be some cannon fodder, I'd become a pilot in an Aires, soaring the skies and laying waste to all below." Said Santiago, daydreaming of becoming a legendary MS Ace.

"Like you would ever have what it takes to become an MS pilot. If anything you'd most likely get shot down in your first flight." Countered Strauss, to which Santiago stuck his tongue out in rebuke. "Besides it's far more safer here on the ground. At least here you won't have a high chance of facing off against a Gundam."

Both men shuddered at the mere thought of the mechanical marauders that had come to plague the Earth in the last three months. The Gundams were five mobile suits made out of a special alloy created in Outer Space called Gundanium, a material that was near indestructible and priced so highly that a single Leo was said to be the equivalent of a twelve kilos. The Gundam units were speculated to have been created by the Colonial Liberation Alliance in the hopes of raining down hell onto the Earth for the purpose of granting them independence. In the months since their arrival the Gundams have laid waste to all they encountered and few lived to tell the tale. Strangely, instead of the Alliance the Gundams in their initial landings chose to instead target OZ as the victims of their wrath. This was rather odd due to the fact that while OZ used to be the elites of the Alliance in the former of the Speciali, they were rather lenient in their dealings with the colonies compared to Alliance High Command, OZ head Treize Khushrenada himself having previously advocated for greater autonomy for the Colonials.

"You don't think those _bastardos_ will attack us do you? The Gundams only target OZ and we have an OZ contingent right here. Not to mention how the Patriotas are getting cozy with Romefeller?" asked Santiago in fear. A large reason why the man was hesitant to try for the new Argentinian 1st MS Division was due to the presence of the Gundams on Earth. He had seen footage of dozens of Aires firing at the Gundams with the latter coming out unscathed as if the rounds were nothing more than blanks. If he ever came face to face with one of the five terrors, it's likely that Santiago would run away, any claims of cowardice being far better than dying at the hands of one of those machines.

Strauss shook his head, "Ever since Lady Une and Zechs took down Unit 01 in Siberia the Gundams have been silent on Earth, though there are rumors of Unit 05 appearing in China. Besides all their targets like Corsica and Lake Victoria were in the Eastern Hemisphere, with a special emphasis on Europe. I highly doubt this backwater region, or the rest of the Americas are going to become their targets.

"But they did attack New Edwards Base, and that was all the way in California." Countered Santiago.

"That was because Noventa and the rest of Alliance HIGHCOMM were in attendance. Despite their hatred for OZ I don't think the Colonials would pass up a chance that big to take out the heads of the Alliance. Besides if they ever do show themselves near here then OZ will probably send Merquise and knock them out of the sky. If 01 can't bring down the Lightning Count then I highly doubt anyone can." Said Strauss, patting Santiago on the back for reassurance.

The two men were snapped out of their conversation from a blip that came on Santiago's console. The Corporal's posture straightened as he delved into his computer in trying to figure out what was going on.

"What is it, Uruguayans, Alliance?" Asked Strauss.

"No, it can't be either of them. The radar's picking up something from the South Atlantic. It's speed matches something along the lines of a Supersonic Jet than an Aires."

Strauss began typing on his own console in order to find a solution. "It says here that at 0600 an Aires squadron left from South Africa under the command of a Major Johann Actt of the Commissariat. Their destination on the flight logs appears to be Antarctica, but it doesn't say the purpose of. It could be a Tupolev Flight Carrier that the squadron used, might've been damaged in whatever operation it partook in." Suggested Strauss.

Santiago continued to focus on his work and connected to the Orbital Satellite Surveillance Network used by OZ to hone in on the unit. "Let's see IFF says OZ-00...Major I'm tracking over the South Atlantic, IFF says its the Tallgeese!"

" _Que, El Conde de Ramplagos?!_ " Shouted in Spanish the Air Traffic Head, Major Luis Fernandez, rushing over to Santiago's station. The rest of the control tower grew apprehensive at the information. The last they had heard of the Lightning Count, Zechs was stationed in Lake Victoria and was butting heads with Romefeller over the destruction of Unit 01, a conflict which grew to become a scandal among the rest of OZ. Reportedly Zechs had finally complied with orders and blown up the Gundam, though his whereabouts afterwords were unknown.

"Are you sure that's the Tallgeese Corporal?"

"Yes, I'm positive sir. IFF confirms it's the exact same unit and the Tallgeese is the only mobile suit that can keep up with its current speeds. Since it's the only one in the world that means that Lieutenant Colonel Merquise is coming here. There's a direct ETA to San Martin of 50 minutes"

Fernandez stroke his beard in thought. While the Lightning Count was rather...colorful in terms of his personality, he was still an obedient soldier of OZ and thus would have notified San Martin of his appearence ahead of time. Besides there was nothing of major importance in Argentina to OZ, it's main focus being on the battlegrounds in Chile where Alliance Remnants continued to fight on under the command of Vice Admiral Akira Yamato. The appearance of the Tallgeese so soon after his falling out with Romefeller, raised numerous questions.

"I want Rojas Flight to go in the air immediately to intercept the Tallgeese. Alert the rest of the base to be on standby. Any Leo or Aires that isn't on the field when the Tallgeese lands is going to face the wrath of Brigadier Corazon, whether that be our boys or OZ." Ordered Fernandez

"Sir, is that necessary? It's just Lieutenant Colonel Merquise, not Treize Khusrenada himself. No need to roll out the carpet." Asked a nearby Auxiliary Sub-Officer.

"I never said for our MS to enter into parade formation. I want the entire base on standby for battle."

 _"Por Que?"_ Asked the same noncom.

"Just because it is the Tallgeese that doesn't mean that Merquise is flying it. We haven't had any contact with the Lieutenant Colonel in the past week and now he decides to show up in our Airspace? What if it isn't the same man but someone else. What if an Alliance _terrorista_ , or worse the pilot from Unit 01 hijacked the mobile suit in the name of revenge? Do you want the deaths of everyone on the base to be in your hands just because you worship _El Conde_ like _Jesus Christo_?" Explained Fernandez.

The thought of coming under attack from the legendary Tallgeese set the soldiers straight and the flight tower erupted in a flurry of activity to respond to the mobile suit. Minutes later Rojas Flight, consisting of four Aires mobiles, launched from San Martin on a direct course for the Tallgeese. They were able to meet the suit around seventy kilometers Southeast of Buenos Aires.

 _'God, please let this be Zechs, please let this be Zechs.'_ Silently prayed the head of Rojas Flight, Eduardo Rojas, a Spaniard Flight Lieutenant of OZ. At the age of 19 Rojas had graduated from Lake Victoria during the same year as Zechs, and while they were far from close that Rojas would call himself an friend of Zechs, he had spoken with the Lieutenant Colonel occasionally and had served with him on a couple of missions. Rojas knew that Zechs would never fall victim to either the Gundams or the Alliance, still there was a lingering thought at the back of his mind that it was possible and it had happened.

Rojas was at the front of his flight and maneuvered his Aires for a direct interception of the Tallgeese, the other Aires' following in close pursuit. "This is Epsilon 2-1 to the rest of Rojas Flight. Begin encirclement of the Tallgeese and standby for possible combat. If all goes well then this will all be for nothing and we'll have a nice chat with Zechs. If not..." Rojas lingered, not wanting to finish his sentence, "Epsilon 2-2 position yourself to the Tallgeese's rear. 2-3 go to the right and 2-4 take the left. I'll face Zechs head on."

"Roger!" Came the swift reply. The four units took their positions with Rojas slowly climbing towards the Tallgeese. So far the machine had neither raised its Dober Gun nor Beam saber. Encouraging Rojas to believe that it was indeed Zechs in the cockpit.

"OZ-OOMS Tallgeese, this is Epsilon 2-1 of the OZ 22nd Air Battalion. You are about to enter into Argentine air space and are ordered to follows us to San Martin without any resistance. OZ-00 please respond." Rojas had to bit his lip in order to maintain his professionalism and ask directly for Zechs' response.

After a few seconds the comms opened up to the sound of loud coughing, though the voice that would follow was not that of the Lightning Count. "Epsilon...2-1, this is Flight Lieutenant Marcus White, I'm a non-assegnati stationed at Antarctica." Exasperated wheezing followed the contact.

Rojas raised his eyebrows underneath his flight mask in confusion. If this Marcus White was piloting the Tallgeese then where was Zechs, and why the hell was the Flight Lieutenant in the Tallgeese in the first place? "Flight Lieutenant state your intentions! How exactly did you come hold of the Tallgeese?"

An awkward laugh came on the comms, "It's *cough*, it's a long story. One I'll gladly explain at San Martin. Just know that I am not hostile and I am fleeing from the Antarctic Base from a Gundam. Unit...unit 03 to be exact."

"A GUNDAM!" Shouted Epsilon 2-3, the comms erupting into nervous chatter at the revelation. _'God, Unit 03 was able to chase off the Tallgeese. That shouldn't happen, Zechs was able to kick 01's ass. But if White is the one piloting Tallgeese, does that mean that Zechs fell in battle?'_

"Cut the chatter Rojas Flight! You're Knights of Romefeller, not a bunch of schoolgirls that run away in terror from a mere mobile suit. Flight Lieutenant, please repeat what you said, is there a Gundam?" Asked Rojas.

"Yes, Unit 03. Don't bother chasing after it though, it's probably long gone with that Bitch Noin and the Sanc girl. Unit 03 also managed to take down an Aires squadron in the process, though I believe they were the 88th. It doesn't matter as 01 was the only airborne Gundam and I killed it." _'What's he talking about destroying 01, Zechs blew it up in Africa? Wait, did he just call Lucrezia Noin a bitch?'_ The former didn't make any sense and the latter was just confusing due to the fact that Lucrezia Noin was one of the most respected pilots within OZ. _'Also what does Sanc have to do with this?'_

"Look I would love to talk about it, but I _really_ *cough cough* need to land. Just lead me to San Martin." Asked White in a desperate tone, his ragged voice getting more tired with each word. Rojas realized that this must have been due to the strain of the Tallgeese since it was so dangerous that they had to cancel its production almost twenty years ago. If word was true than a Flight Officer even died from the strain of just piloting it in the operation to take the Sanc Kingdom. If this Marcus White managed to last this long then he must have been either a hell of a pilot or someone with incredible stamina.

"Alright, we'll lead you to San Martin. Rojas Flight stand down and enter into escort formation around the Tallgeese. We're taking her back to base." Rojas then switched his comms to long-range to communicate with San Martin, "San Martin this is Epsilon 2-1, did you get any of that?"

The rough voice of Brigadier Enrique Corazon responded, "Epsilon 2-1 we heard every word of it. Take the Tallgeese to LZ 3, we'll be waiting with a Leo squadron in case he tries to pull any funny business."

"Copy Brigadier, Epsilon 2-1 out."

Twenty minutes later at LZ -3, Brigadier Corazon stood waiting with 12 Leos surrounding the Landing Zone and the rest of Epsilon Squadron in the airspace above to provide additional support if needed. Standing next to Corazon stood Squadron Commander Henry Westfield, OZ's highest ranking commander on the base.

"Westfield, your one of those shiny knights of OZ. You've served with Merquise in the past, any reason he's not here and he would just lend his mobile suit to some no-name non-assegnati?" Demanded Corazon. Standing at 1.86 meters, Corazon towered the rather lanky and pale Canadian by his side, Westfield standing at only 1.74 meters. Whether the Squadron Commander was intimidated by the brutish presence of the Argentine Brigadier like the rest of his men, he didn't show.

"To correct you Brigadier, in my eight years within the Order of Zodiac, not once have I served with the Lightning Count if you'll believe it. I spent most of my career in Outer Space before being moved to Rio last year while Zechs traveled all over the Earth sphere. I have met him enough times to know of his character though."

"Any reason he'd let this _Blanco_ fly his mobile suit?"

"Zechs Merquise is a man with many qualities, one of them is his high pride against others. I don't think there's any scenario where Zechs would willingly give his mobile suit to a subordinate. I've taken the pleasure of looking over Flight Lieutenant White's record, and his background states that while he is an MS engineer, he is a rather poor pilot. Not exactly a novice but not someone that His Excellency would ever assign into an active Speciali unit when we served under the Alliance. So this means that either White stole the Tallgeese, something which is highly unlikely though plausible, or Zechs is either incapacitated or dead and White took the Tallgeese, something which may be possible considering his claims of a Gundam."

"It could be the former. He did call in that Noin _chica_ a bitch, I've heard that she was Merquise's lover so he may have stole the Tallgeese in revenge over a broken heart." Corazon's words actually managed to arise a large laugh from Westfield.

"HAHAHA, that's something I would never think of." Said Westfield, wiping a tear from his eye over imagining the scenario. "Zechs and Noin have a rather... _complicated_ relationship to say the least. It's true that Noin does have it hard for the Count, though Zechs to me seems far more in love with his own ego over any woman that he comes across. Some of my men from their year at Lake Victoria said she was a heart breaker, but everybody knows she only has eyes for Zechs so I doubt anyone besides a naive lovestruck puppy would get upset over something so childish like that. White's profile suggests a maturity far greater than to be thrown into prison for 15-20 years on insubordination charges over such a stupid reason. Whatever the case I just want an answer about those Gundams he was talking about. Unit 05 was spotted in Xinjang a while ago, and if Unit 03 was really in Antarctica then that means that shit is about to hit the fan on Earth. We cannot have the Gundams begin their terror attacks again, especially when the war for space is just beginning."

"I think we're about to get our answers now Squadron Commander." The two men looked up to see the Tallgeese coming down to a rather turbulent landing on the LZ, Rojas Flight circling it above. The two officers ran towards the machien with a squad of MP's following them closely. The Leos around the field raised their dober guns up high, taking aim in case the Tallgeese attacked. The hatch to Tallgeese opened with the man who the two assumed to be Flight Lieutenant White, coming down on a cable. After landing on solid ground the Flight Lieutenant then collapsed. Argentine medics, which had been on standby meters to the back, rushed to attend to the OZ officer. _'So it is true, the Tallgeese can kill you.'_ Grimmly thought Corazon.

The two officers arrived to the Flight Lieutenant and took in his appearance. The man named Marcus White was someone who wouldn't stand out in a crowd if you happened to see him. Dressed in OZ hunter greens, the man looked to be around 1.8 meters and sported a buzzcutt of his brown hair. The man's entire uniform reeked of stench as it was covered in sweat and was very disheveled. If Westfield didn't know any better he'd say that White ran through an entire day of boot camp. White was struggling to breath with erratic breaths, only slowing down and returning to normal once he consumed oxygen from the medic's kit. The two commanding officers waited several minutes for White to return to normal, in the meantime the base's mechanics were scouring the Tallgeese while Corazon called off his armed guard, the soldiers not being needed with White's pitiful state.

Eventually White managed to retain a state of calm. He weakly rose his hand in salute when he noticed the presence of Westfield, "Squadron Commander, Flight Lieutenant Marcus White reporting for duty."

Westfield waved his hand away, "At ease Flight Lieutenant. No need to stand at attention in your current state. I gotta say White it's either extremely brave or stupid of you to fly the Tallgeese for such an extended period of time. You do know that a man died from piloting it right?"

"I..I know Commander. I had to do it though, I couldn't let the suit fall into the hands of the enemy, or get destroyed by the Gundams." The serious look in his eye was all the two commanding officers needed to know that White's claims of the Gundams being present in Antarctica were dead serious.

 _'Jesus Christo, to think this man actually fought a Gundam.'_ Thought Corazon. "Flight Lieutenant where is Lieutenant Colonel Zechs Merquise, how did you obtain the Tallgeese?" Demanded the Argetine Brigadier.

White turned to the Argentine with his face turning into a tight snarl at the mention of the Lighting Count. The Flight Lieutenant seemed to be pouring out hatred and rage at Zechs. "Zechs Merquise, you mean that fucking bastard who betrayed OZ, who consorted with the Gundams?! I killed him sir, I killed Zechs Merquise!"

 **A/N: Well that was the first chapter of Fall of the Lightning Count. There are going to be four more chapters of this as we delve into what led Marcus to kill Zechs, how he did it, and what happened to Heero, Trowa, Noin, and everyone else in the aftermath. This event will serve as the foundation for Knights of Romefeller, though I won't release that until a far later date. Hope you enjoyed the first part of the story, especially since it was nothing but OC's who appeared. Don't worry though as I promise to have a substantial payoff, and logically explain why Marcus did what he did towards Zechs, with him having very real and personal reasons. Just to be clear, this fic isn't meant to bash Zechs (well mostly), it's meant to serve as a strong AU which will throw the storyline of Wing in wack. It's also mainly going to be from the POV of OZ and their soldiers, so be prepared from some biased POV's as well as different viewpoints of the protagonists actions, especially Zechs (and for good reason).**

 **This story is heavily based on and inspired by "Soldiers of OZ: Walker's Account." It's an OZ-centric story on Fanfiction which is one of the best Wing fics and does a great job of exploring the actions of OZ and After Colony as a whole. Several terminology within this chapter borrows form it such as the ranks, the term Non-assegnati (which is basically a non-assigned OZ personnel), the Commissariat, and the suits and equipment. While there will be several references and terminology borrowed from there, as well as some of Synthesis' OC's, I do plan for this story to stand on its own and have several of my own elements inserted into it.**

 **Finally thanks guys so much for giving this a shot and stay tuned for more. Long live OZ!**


	2. Chapter 2

In hindsight Marcus reflected that if there was one thing he shouldn't have done it was to shout that he killed OZ's most popular MS Ace right in the middle of a packed OZ airstrip without explaining why he did it. However in that moment the young OZ officer didn't care about the potential danger that came with his declaration. Since escaping Antarctica the young man had been dying (possibly literally with the strain of piloting the Tallgeese) to tell someone, anyone of what he had done to the traitor named Zechs Merquise. It wasn't that Marcus was a glory hog and was hoping for a promotion or a title from Romefeller, rather he wanted desperately to rid the world of Zechs' image as a perfect soldier and show all of OZ just how despicable and outright insane he had become.

It was this urge that led Marcus to forget about the consequences of such an action, mainly having a dozen Leos come to alert and lock their dober guns on you, while being surrounded by waves of foot soldiers at the same time. The soldiers were not shy in letting their reactions to this outburst be known.

"You fucking bastard, you killed Zechs!"

"I knew there's no way Zechs would let someone take his mobile suit."

"For the Lightning Count!"

"TRAITOR!"

Henry Westfield was so shocked at the revelation that he had little time to comprehend that his men were about to obliterate White in front of him while he was processing the information. Fortunately for Marcus the Canadian Squadron Commander was able to respond and bring an end to the violence before a bloodbath occurred.

Westfield rushed to put his body in front of Marcus and waved his arms in an attempt to "STAND DOWN! I SAID STAND DOWN! I will not let blood spill on my airfield just because you people jumped to conclusions!" Corazon slightly winced when Westfield said "my airfield" when it was in actuality property of Argentina, but he said nothing for he knew what the Squadron Commander's intent was, though he knew that it was another subliminal showing of OZ's inherent superiority complex.

"Sir he killed a fellow officer of OZ, he killed Zechs Merquis for crying outloud. Justice must be served!" Shouted a South Asian infantry Sargent who kept his rifle on White, laser scope planting a dot on the Flight Lieutenant's forehead. The rest of the soldiers on the ground gave yells of agreement while similar shouts could be heard from the Leo troops on the comms.

Westfield started sweating through his officer's cap as he knew that he had to chose his next words carefully or else there would be a riot on his hands. _'God, what did I have to do to deserve this shit-fest? It was just supposed to be an easy assignment in this backwater region, and now I have to handle the biggest scandal of the second century.'_ Westfield thought. "I know you guys are all pissed at what the Flight Leiutenant is saying, however we must find out what exactly happened before blowing anyone's brains out. The Flight Leituenant here claims that Zechs betrayed the Order and allied himself with the Gundams."

"Bullshit! Zechs would never work with the Gundams! He shot down 01 twice, and there's especially no way he would do so after Lake Victoria." Shouted an African corporal, more rounds of agreement followed.

"Well it fucking happened, that's what I'll tell you! I saw it with my own damn eyes. Zechs never destroyed 01, he brought it to Barclay Klamb to rebuild it and give it back to 01's pilot, he even brought Unit 03 and its pilot and made me tend to it. I even have video footage right here." White said, holding a Kodak camcorder in his palm. "If you don't believe me or this than go to Antartica. You'll find your goddamn proof, Unit 01. Not destroyed at the bottom of Lake Victoria, but inside the base where I killed it with the Tallgeese."

Westfield and Corazon's eyes both widened at the accusations. Neither men in their wildest dreams could've ever imagined Zechs to pull off something so stupid and treasonous. _'Why the hell would Zechs be helping terrorists? He's never once acted against the Order or the Foundation. But what happened in Siberia...'_ Thought Westfield.

"Liar! Come on Squadcomm, let me shoot the son of a bitch. Zechs needs to be avenged!" Said the same Sargent from earlier.

 _'God these idiots are so brainwashed. How could I have not seen it til now, how Zechs had his pawns on everyone wearing the Speciali uniform? Maybe I could've convinced the others to join me.'_ Lamented Marcus.

The tense scene was interrupted by the sound of a gunshot, thankfully for Marcus it was not a rifle aiming at him, rather the round was aimed at the sky, originating from an Argentine officer's pistol being held by the Brigadier. " _Callense Todos!_ You are men and women of Argentina's finest and the Order of Zodiac, not a bunch of crying children!" The Argentine soldiers shrunk back in fear while the OZ compliment grew weary, they had served under the Brigadier enough time to knew when he would demand obedience of his soldiers. Those who chose to go against him and encourage sedition would often go through harsh punishments that made them wish for the days of bootcamp.

"Brigadier, he...he killed Zechs!"

"And do we have proof of his actions beyond his word? Do we know of what truly happened in Antarctica when the Comisariat themselves sent their own men there this morning. Let us first determine his story and see what occurred, for all we know he is telling the complete and utter truth and you are waving your guns at someone who took down a treacherous dog. _Madre de Dios_ , put those damn things away! The Flight Leiutenant is not armed, he's physically exhausted, and he willingly surrendered the Tallgeese to us. If he really wanted to go on a rampage he could've destroyed this entire base from the sky." The Brigadier's words managed to work as one by one the soldiers started to lower their rifles while the Leos chose to do the same with their Dober's and back off, though everyone on the ground sans the commanding officers still sent hateful glares towards Marcus.

"If this man truly did murder Merquise with no valid reason then he will be put into prison and sent on trial, and if found guilty I will stand on the firing squad against him, you men have my word. Until then let's think with our brains and not our triggers. We will begin an investigation immedeatley and will relay information as it comes. Dismissed!"

The Argentines did as asked of their Brigadier though the men of OZ remained. "You too men, that's an order. Except for you Bravo squad, you shall remain as White's escorts as he is placed into custody until further notice." Commanded Westfield. Begrudgingly the Mobile Suit troops did as they were told, leaving the LZ with just Corazon, Westfield, Bravo squad, the two medics on the scene, and the mechanic crew who began resuming their search of the Tallgeese.

Westfield walked up to Marcus who was still lying on the ground. "Son you better be right or else a court martial will be the least of your concerns. Zechs is held rather high our ranks, there are several Squadcomm's beside me who had they been in command would gladly step aside and let the fanatics shoot you."

Marcus smiled weakly, "All the more reason to get the truth out and destroy this decade-long lie. I'm not lying sir, everything's in here, from Zechs' lunacy to Noin and the rest following his lead." Marcus said, once more holding out the camcorder to Westfield, who grabbed it.

Westfield turned to the medics, "Get him to the infirmiry and treat any injuries he may have received from the Tallgeese. Bravo squad, secure him in an isolated wing and don't let anyone besides either the Brigadier or I see him. And if I get word that a single scratch came to the Flight Lieutenant then I'll have your asses shipped to Luxembourg, like the Brigadier said if he's guilty then he'll land in the courts. We are Knights of Romefeller, we enforce the law, not take it into our own hands." The Sargent leading Bravo squad grunted an acknowledgement and began to escort the medics inside the base.

Once most of the men were off the LZ Westfield let out a large sigh of relief. "God this shit is way above my damned paygrade." He turned to Corazon, "Thanks Brigadier for helping me out back there. I don't think I could handle all those lunatics on my own." Westfield said, holding out his hand in thanks which Corazon returned.

"Do not think anything of it Commander. It will be a sad day when we lose our discipline and go about acting like rabid dogs than men in uniform. That being said though I am disturbed at how... _devoted_ your men were towards the Lightning Count."

Westfield grunted in response, "Yeah that's Zechs for you. If you think that's bad you should see how hard OZ has it for Treize. If it had been his excellency who White had shot then they wouldn't have hesitated and tore apart the man. Hell these people would start a civil war if anything happened to Khushrenanda. That's exactly why we need to keep this under wraps as long as possible until we keep a clear picture. Brigadier I'm going to need you to order a mandatory communications blackout for the next 24 hours, only keep open secure lines to Buenos Aires and Luxembourg along with our troops in the field. Nothing come in or out without your approval, especially any word of Zechs' fate. If handled badly Zechs' death could kill morale in the Earth sphere and spread anarchy throughout our ranks."

Corazon nodded in understanding. "I don't think it'll last for long but I shall do as you say. At the same time I'll be closing the gates, can't let some pilot take a drive to Buenos Aires and leak to _La Nacion._ "

"When you're done with that please join me in my office so that we can watch the footage. Time to find out if our prodigal son aligned himself with those demons."

About an hour later the two men were in Westfield's office, having gone through most of the video and nearing the end, Zech's treachury plain for all to see.

"LONG LIVE OZ!" Those were the final words that Marcus White shouted before pulling the trigger and releasing the last round in his pistol, the bullet striking Zechs' head square on and ending the life of the Lighting Count.

"ZECHS!" A feminine shriek, who Westfield recognized to be Noin, cried out in agony seconds later as alarms went off and various yells of confusion and fear echoed around the base. The last seconds of footage were Marcus grabbing the camera in a hurry, the last shot being him running towards the Tallgeese before the video cut out. All that Marcus said was true with only footage of his claim of taking down Unit 01 being left out.

Corazon had never been as mad at someone in his life before as he had Zechs. During his long career in the Argentine Air Force, Corazon had come face to face with several scum who tarnished the uniform, each a disgrace to the proud institution that was the Argentine Air Force and the former Alliance. However all of those scoundrels paled in comparison to the madness of Zechs, how he had betrayed his comrades for such an archaic notion of chivalry that even the reactionary aristocrats of Romefeller would find it insane. _'All of this just so he could have some fucking joust with a goddamn terrorist. Púdrete en el infierno traidor.'_ Thought Corazon.

Whatever the Brigadier's feelings were, they paled in comparison to the absolute rage and betrayal felt by Westfield. While the man had never been fond of Zechs, deep inside a small part of him hoped that Marcus was lying in that he was insane. Westfield just couldn't believe that a man of OZ would stoop so low, that he would betray those lost to the Gundams and dare to help them in any manner or form. Yet here it was; Zechs, Noin, and countless others had just stood back and actively helped the Gundam pilots, now revealed as Heero Yuy and Trowa Barton. And out of the dozens who were present in Antarctica, only Marcus White dared to question this obvious treason.

Westfield had tears in his eyes, enraged and saddened at how so many men and women who had died by the hands of the Gundam had misplaced their faith in Zechs. Months ago Westfield had a dear friend, Flight Lieutenant Matthew Anderson. The two were Canadians who had met at Lake Victoria and had bonded to become the best of friends, brothers in all but blood. At the start of the year while Westfield had been assigned to Rio, Anderson was transferred to the Middle Eastern Air Army at Corsica, there he had died at the hands of Unit 03, the same Gundam who had been given asylum by Zechs.

"MOTHERFUCKER!" Westfield yelled, throwing an empty bottle at the wall which shattered into dozens of pieces. "GODDAMN YOU TO HELL ZECHS MERQUISE!" Westfield then smashed his fist upon the desk, bones and flesh strained against the hard oak wood. The force of the impact managed to create a small dent into the desk, at the same time cutting Westfield's hand with several splinters. The Squadron Commander now let go of any sort of image and broke down, pouring out his feelings of betrayal and hate. This went on for several minutes, Corazon watching silently in the background.

Eventually Westfield managed to compose himself, taking several deep breaths and wiping out the tears in his eyes, then proceeding to administer first aid to himself. "I'm...I'm sorry that you had to see that Brigadier."

The far older Argentine simply laid a hand on Westfield's shoulder, providing comfort as a father would to his son. "There is no need to apologize Commander. That scum Zechs Merquise has made himself the greatest traitor of After Colony, bringing great dishonor to the Order of Zodiac and nearly damning the lives of every man who fought and died for the cause since Daybreak. I am simply glad that _Blanco_ brought that mad dog down when he did, who knows what kind of damage he might've inflicted on the rest of the Earth sphere."

Westfield simply nodded, both sat in silence for a minute before the Brigadier continued, "So now what do we do. I may not concern myself with Romefeller politics, but I know for a fact that this is going to have major repercussions moving forward."

"That's the greatest understatement I ever heard. I may be mostly apolitical as well but I've dealt with enough of OZ to know how this plays out. There's going to be a huge rift formed, if it hasn't already, between the Foundation and Treize. The board is going to want to know just why the hell Treize didn't see this coming, and why he chose to place someone who was so insane in such a high position of power." _'Not that Zechs is the only one, what with how damn two-faced Lady Une is.'_ Thought Westfield. "Treize is going to try and defend Zechs," Corazon raised an eye at the claim, "Yeah I know it sounds crazy but His Excellency actually believes in this chivalry crap so he might think that Zechs was taking the _honorable_ route. OZ is going to get split down the middle with half thinking White was a hero while the other half think he's a damn murderer. Morale is going to hit the shit, everyone is going to mistrust their commanding officers, and some are going to probably resign. Septim and his cronies must be dancing in L1 right about now, we just handed them a huge victory right on a silver platter, might even be enough to secure Noventa's independence."

Westfield ran his good hand through his hair, trying to find a solution to the current mess. "Brigadier, I'm not trying to exaggerate when I say that what we do within the next few days might change the course of the war as we know it. If we fuck up, then OZ is going to crumble down, and the whole Earth sphere will be thrown into chaos." Corazon nodded along, while he had no special love for Treize or the rest of Romefeller, _Las Patriotas_ and the rest of the Argentine government had thrown their towel with Romefeller, and if OZ went down then Argentina would be left to fend on their own.

"I think what we should do first is send a battalion of Aires to Antarctica. If that _puta_ Noin and the Gundam pilots are smart enough, they'll try to secure Zechs' body and destroy the rest of the base in order to get rid of the evidence. Not to mention the fact that we need to make sure 01 is destroyed for good this time. Even if it is the Gundams can still reclaim it for scrape, they can use the Gundanium to make something new, something far more terrifying." Corazon said.

Westfield nodded in agreement, "That's a solid plan, I would suggest that 3/4ths of the battalion be made up of your boys while Aristotle squad fills in for OZ, those men are mostly made up of pilots in their twenties, all who joined OZ after Zechs and are lest likely to join in the hero worship. At the same time we'll need some paratroopers, just in case a few fanatics are at the base and want to take revenge for their glorious Zechs."

"What are you going to do?" Asked Corazon.

"I'll need to make a few calls in order to contain the flames before they spread, I'll also be handing the briefing of White in the meantime, this is an OZ internal matter, as the highest ranking officer on base it's my duty to see this to the end, even if my career is caught in the middle." Corazon looked upon Westfield with newfound respect at this declaration, while he never had any issues with the man before, he had regarded him with a small amount of stigma due to being an elite of OZ, seeing such fiery passion and dedication to duty reminded the Brigadier of himself when he was younger. _'If only you were born down south Commander.'_ Thought Corazon.

"I'll be sure to get to it. Good luck Commander." Said Corazon, holding out his hand, which Westfield returned.

"You to Brigadier, the Order of Zodiac will forever be in your debt once this affair is dealt with.."

"Reward me with a title and a shiny castle in Europe and we'll call it even." Joked Corazon, the man then left to give out the orders. Leaving Westfield to think about his next plan of action.

 _'I gotta contact Luxembourg, they need to know about this first before this starts to spread to the rest of the Earth and the colonies.'_ Before Westfield typed the in the frequency for Treize Khushrenada's office, he stopped himself with some hesitation. _'Will Treize do anything, will he even care?'_ Westfield himself even admitted less than a minute ago that Treize would most likely be the greatest supporter of Zechs, his friendship with the late count clouding his judgement. If the General was the first one to learn of Zech's betrayal, then he could instantly cover it up or try to spin it in Zechs' favor. _'I need to contact the Foundation first, Duke Dermail has to know.'  
_  
After making a copy of the video footage for proof, Westfield then shifted the codes to the Foundation's Headquarters in Brussels. He knew that the board had a conference in Bremen recently, though they should have been done with it days ago. Westfield waited several seconds until the face of a young man of Arab descent dressed in the attire of an OZ Flight Officer appeared on screen. "This is Flight Officer Abraham Tal, adjutant to Dermail Catalonia. To whom am I speaking?"

"Flight Officer this is Squadron Commander Henry Westfield of the 37th Air Battalion stationed at Buenos Aires. Is His Grace Dermail Catalonia available at the moment? I need to speak with him directly."

The Flight Officer seemed confused at the request. "Sir as I'm aware there is a regular procedure for officers of OZ to contact His Grace, if you would like to get in contact then please go through the Supreme Military council."

"Look I know what I'm doing is unorthodox, but this is a matter of the upmost importance that only His Grace can know, I can't risk anyone within the rest of OZ finding out before I contact His Grace."

Flight Officer Tal raised an eyebrow at Westfield's claim of upmost secrecy. "I'm sure that His Excellency could be trusted with whatever information you claim to have."

"Look, what I have involves Treize and who knows how many commanding officers within the Order. The Foundation has to be alerted right away before a potential coverup is declared. If His Grace isn't aware of what's going on then there's going to be catastrophic consequences. I'm talking about a scandal so widespread that the Mobile Suit Troops, Space Forces, Comisariat, everyone within OZ is going to either rejoice or rise up at what's happened. The Board needs to know so that they can minimize the damage."

On the other end of the line Tal's face scrunched up into disbelief. As Duke Dermail's personal aide he was aware of much within OZ that went high above his paygrade, so the claims of a scandal so shocking that it could rock the Earth sphere suprised him. Usually he would've hung up by now, but something about Westfield's conviction told him that what he was saying was the truth, and that if Tal didn't let him through then there would be hell to pay.

With a sigh Tal relented, "Alright, I'll patch you through. His Grace is in his office and is available at the moment, he won't be pleased though at being contacted like this."

"I assure you that this is well worth it Flight Officer." The screen then faded to black for several seconds before a new face came on. This was a highly chiseled and bearded face of an elderly Hispanic aristocrat, the man who was at the moment perhaps the most powerful individual in the Earth sphere, Dermail Catalonia, Grand Duke of Lichtenstein.

"Your Grace, this is Squadron Commander Henry Westfield reporting!" Westfield said with a sharp salute at the man who was essentially Treize Khushrenada's superior, judging by his agitation though Dermail was none too pleased at the impromptu call.

"Boy, I don't know who you think you are, but there are regulations and rules to be followed as an officer of OZ. I'm sure whatever you think is important is over-exaggerated, it would be best to contact Trieze directly and..."

"Zechs Merquise has betrayed OZ sir, he never destroyed Unit 01 and transported it to Antarctica in order to give it back to the Gundam pilot." Westfield interrupted. Whatever lecture Dermail Catalonia was about to continue was interrupted, with his face erupting into pure shock at the claim.

"What, what are you saying?" Asked Dermail.

"Your Grace I'm transmitting a video to you right now that gives explicit proof of the whole affair. I haven't been able to investigate everything that's happened so far, but what we do definitely confirm is that Zechs faked the destruction of 01 in Lake Victoria, moved it to Antarctica in order to have it repaired by Lucrezia Noin and several OZ engineers and freelancers, all for the purpose of delivering it to the pilot of unit 01, a boy named Heero Yuy sir." Dermail's face grew puzzled at the mention of the pilot whose name was the exact same as the martyred colonial pacifist that had died twenty years prior. "I know it sounds strange, though I believe that the pilot is most likely using the Yuy name as a codename rather than being of any actual relation to the Yuy Foundation. There was also a second Gundam pilot sir, Trowa Barton of Unit 03. It could also be a codename but something tells me that the pilot has a strong connection to the Barton Foundation, they're the only Colonials who have the resources to build five separate Gundams and launch them to perform a counter-insurgency on Earth."

Silence followed Westfield's explanation. It took Dermail a couple of minutes to try and digest the multiple revelations that were given to him by the OZ Squadron Commander. _'Damn you Treize, I knew you shouldn't have given Merquise so much free reign. We'll need to keep a tighter leash on OZ, this type of dissent cannot be allowed to continue.'_ Thought the Duke.

"What is the status of the Gundam pilots? And what of Zechs himself?"

"Within the video that I transmitted to you is footage of the Lightning Count being shot to death, his assassin is a Flight Lieutenant Marcus White, a non-assegnati stationed at Antarctica who felt that Zech's treason had to be stopped. Afterwords he managed to hijack the Tallgeese and escape to Argentina. From his word so far it seems like the Gundam pilots have escaped with Unit 03, possibly with Noin joining them. The facts are still messy as the Flight Lieutenant landed just over an hour ago with the Tallgeese, but I'll be sure to submit a full report by tomorrow at the latest. In regards to Inspector Acht and the 88th, I think it's safe to say at this point that they are most likely dead. This may sound defeatist sir, but if the Middle Eastern Air Army was able to fall so easily to 03 and 04, then I highly doubt a Commissariat officer and South Africa's finest will be able to take 03 down, even amid all the confusion." Dermail just nodded along, taking in the information for all its worth, trying to come up with a plan for the future.

"Thank you very much Squadron Commander for all of this information. You were very wise to contact the Foundation first, while my nephew is an excellent leader, his judgement in this matter would be most clouded by his friendship with the late Zechs. Continue to deal with the situation in Argentina as you see fit, the political fallout will be dealt with personally by the Supreme Military Council, we'll be sure to spend this towards OZ's way and make sure the guilty parties are held liable. I expect to see a full report in the next 24 hours. Romefeller owes you a great debt today Squadron Commander, continue to prove your loyalties and you shall have a bright future ahead of you."

"Sir!" Westfield saluted, the screen then cutting off. Once the monitor went black Westfield slouched in his seat, breathing a large sigh of relief. 'Well this shitshow is out of my hands for now. Time to tie up the loose ends.' Taking a few minutes to compose himself, Westfield left his office on course for the infirmary, briefly reminding himself of the need to clean the pile of glass on the floor when he returned.

When Westfield reached the infirmary he found his path blocked by an angry mob, their entrance being held back by Bravo squad, whose faces appeared torn on the whole situation. "JUSTICE FOR ZECHS! JUSTICE FOR ZECHS!" The mob cried out.

 _'Christ, why'd I have to be put in command of the crazies?'_ "What the hell is going on here?!" Westfield yelled out in his most authoritative officer tone. The mob turned at the new sound and then proceeded to rush towards the Canadian, circling him like a bunch of hungry sharks.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Demanded Westfield.

One of the pilots of Rojas Flight, a Jewish pilot named Jared Klein, stepped forward. "Sir, there you are. We demand that this Flight Lieutenant White be put under arrest immediate, he needs to stand trial."

Westfield formed a small smirk on his face, knowing the full irony of that statement. "Oh, and what crime is that?"

"He murdered Zechs Merquise, a Lieutenant Colonel of OZ! We all know it, the man admitted it to everyone and was damn proud of it. I don't know why your trying to protect him Squadcomm, he killed one of our own, he killed Zechs for no reason." Klein argued, others shouting in agreement. _'I wonder if they would be saying the same thing if it was some no-name officer, if I had commited the crime instead of the pompous blonde.'_

"This may come as a shock to some of you, but I have been reviewing video evidence for the past hour and White was right. Zechs did in fact commit treason to OZ, he spent resources of the Order and recruited dozens into his campaign to rebuild 01, all in order to give it back to the pilot for an honorable duel. While it is currently up for debate on whether or not White will face charges, Zechs did in fact betray OZ, the Lightning Count is not the man you all thought he was."

A general feeling of shock came upon the faces of the OZ pilots, all of them disbelieving the words that their commanding officer had uttered. These feelings soon turned to anger and disgust, anger at the mere thought that their commanding officer would dare to make such accusations.

Klein himself decided to act rashly and pinned the Squadron Commander up against the wall, fists balling on the collar of Westfield's uniform, his face turning bright red. "BULLSHIT! Zechs may be many things but a traitor isn't one of them. He'd never work for the Gundams, NEVER!"

Westfield calmly stared down his subordinate, "Careful boy, you're acting very close to borderline subordination. Do you really think that I would lie, that I would make up some bullshit tale and side with an officer who I've known for barely less than an hour?"

In a miracle that probably saved Westfield's life and several court martials from taking place, the PA system came alive. "This is Brigadier Enrique Corazon speaking to all personnel on base, both OZ and Argentine. At 1346 today, the Tallgeese landed on the airfield with a certain Flight Lieutenant Marcus White. In the aftermath an order was issued for a communications blackout and all personnel were ordered to stay inside the base. Rumors have also spread that this Flight Lieutenant White has killed Zechs Merquise in cold blood. I am here to address those concerns. After going over video footage with Squadron Commander Westfield, along with footage and data from the Tallgeese, I can confirm that White has killed Zechs. However this was not done without good reason. For Zechs Merquise, the venerable Lightning Count, has committed treason against OZ. The man set up an elaborate plan where he faked the destruction of 01 and planned to have it moved to Antarctica so that he could duel the pilot of said Gundam. In the process he provided sanctuary for the pilots of 01 and 03, while also shooting down an South African Aires squadron that was sent to investigate the matter. Zechs Merquise is a traitor, there is no doubt about it. I would like to remind everyone that the situation is currently developing and we shall keep the base well informed of all new developments that occur. To those who looked up to the Lightning Count, I apologize for this monumental betrayal. _Viva Argentina y Viva OZ!_ This has been Brigadier Corazon, signing off."

Westfield looked back towards Klein, who let go of his commanding officer and proceeded to fall on the floor. Many other men and women were also shellshocked at the words, a few let tears roll down their face and were actively sobbing. While Westfield couldn't help but be disappointed at how these officers of OZ were acting, he also pitied them and wished he could comfort them, something that he could not provide at this current time.

"I know that you all have strong feelings for Zechs. He was a friend, a comrade, one of the greatest pilots in our generation. Remember this though, OZ is not one man, it is not one pilot. We have faced difficult times before, and we shall move on. At 2100 I shall have a debriefing to explain in full the events that occurred today and what shall happen in the near future. Rest assured that Luxembourg has been contacted and is now dealing with the situation as we speak. For those of you who knew Zechs personally, I'm sorry."

Westfield slowly walked towards the door of the infirmary, each step hard to do while looking at the faces of the OZ personnel who were hurting at the loss of their hero.

"Zechs." Whispered one of the pilots, whom it was Westfield could not be sure.

Slowly the mob dispersed and Westfield was allowed entrance into the infirmary. Bravo squad while relieved, looked extremely depressed upon news of the Lightning Count's treachery. _'Poor bastards. If these are the reactions of my men I hate to think of those who worked with Zechs in East Africa.'_ Inside the infirmary it was very quite with the only other patient today being an Argentine infantrymen who appeared to have a broken nose, sleeping on a small cot off to the side. Westfield walked to the presence of a small squad of OZ infantry around a small cot with curtains enclosing it. Upon seeing their Squadron Commander the men stepped aside, themselves appearing to have the same faces of shock that the others wore outside. Westfield opened the curtain to find Marcus being attended to by the head physician on base, Doctor Carmen Sanchez.

Marcus gave a brisk salute to Westfield, "Sir, so you and the Brigadier finally saw the truth?" He asked, probably having heard the Brigadier's announcement over the bases' PA system.

Westfield gave a loud sigh, "Yeah, we know about Zechs and all the crap that he did. Judging by both the video and the Tallgeese's computer you should be cleared, though I wouldn't celebrate just yet." Marcus raised an eye at Westfield's claim. "White, personally what I think you did was right. That SOB betrayed OZ and gave the most dangerous weapon in the Earth sphere to a terrorist just so he could have a fucking joust with him. On paper you have every right to shoot him in order to protect OZ. However we do have rules and regulations dealing with traitors. And some of the more liberal members of Romefeller and the Supreme Military Council will want to arrest you for having killed Zechs and not brought him in for a trial." Marcus' face sneered at the thought of Zechs having to stand in court. It was an entirely pointless procedure for all the clear evidence that was there and such an affair would most likely have been dragged on for months or years in order to publicize it and make a spectacle over what should be an easy decision.

"Beyond the _ethics_ that our beloved bureaucrats and self-righteous aristocrats like to espouse, there's also the manner that you went about solving the problem. Instead of chosing to take down the Gundam pilots, you chose to punish Zechs for his actions, something that many may see as a sign of a personal grudge over the success of the Lightning Count. I'm sure you had your reasons for chosing Zechs, but the Gundam pilots should have died first in order to end their campaign of terror. Not to mention lastly that for the rest of your days you'll be hounded by people both within and outside OZ who were part of Zechs' cult, no matter what they'll see you as a murderer for bringing down this madman, that mob outside was only a small example of what you'll face in the future."

"Squadron Commander, is this talk really necessary, you're going to raise the stress and blood pressure of the patient when the first thing he needs is rest. If he had piloted the Tallgeese for a few more hours then it's very likely he could have died." Complained Doctor Sanchez.

Westfield bowed in respect, "My apologies Doc, I'm just telling the Flight Lieutenant the consequences of his actions and what he'll have to face in the next couple of days. This scandal doesn't just end with the death of Merquise, it's going to have major ripples throughout the entire Earth sphere. We likely won't see this die down for years to come."

To Westfield's surprise, Marcus seemed to take the information all in stride, accepting everything with just a simple nod of the head, having fully come to terms with his actions just hours ago. "I know all that Squadcomm. I had a few days before all this, thinking about what and what not to do. I admit that I could've done things differently, but I don't regret a single thing I did. Zechs deserved to die and I'm glad I did it. I only want to tell my side of the story before things get out of control."

"That's exactly why I came here. If you don't mind I'd like for you to participate in some questioning surrounding your entire involvement during the...incident that took place today. While your video may have shown us bits and pieces of Zechs' treason, I'd like to hear a full explanation on what happened leading up to today and how Zechs managed to convince so many to join his side, in addition to your particular motivations for killing the Lightning Count."

"You want to interrogate my patient, just after he stepped out of that death machine?" Doctor Sanchez demanded.

Westfield raised his hands up in compliance, "Don't worry Doc, I'm not going to do anything lethal to the Flight Lieutenant here, technically he hasn't been charged with a crime yet so is to be treated with the respect of an OZ officer. This is all voluntary, it's just that I'll need definite proof for the White in order to build up a suitable case for him should he be charged with a court martial."

The doctor relented, "Fine, but I will need to be present in case Flight Lieutenant White suffers any further. From past records that I managed to pull out of the Tallgeese, pilots after flying it have suffered severe cases of anxiety and malfunction of the lungs, if White gets too much stress then he could suffer a heart attack."

On the cot Marcus let out a loud laugh, "God, that would just be sad. I survived a Gundam and yet I died from a heart attack at the age of 23. What a way to go." Marcus then turned to Westfield. "Squadcomm, I'll answer anything you ask me. Anything to clear Zechs of his hero worship is something I approve of."

"Alright then, Flight Lieutenant let's head on to the debriefing room, they have cameras set up on continuous recording so we'll have footage of everything that you'll say. Doc, if you could help me out." Westfield and Sanchez then moved to support Marcus' arms as he stood out of the cot, barely managing to avoid falling from the stress placed on his body by the Tallgeese. The two then escorted the Flight Lieutenant to the debriefing room down the hall, a fancy word to describe where the Argentine Air Force interrogated any prisoners or unruly servicemen.

Westfield led Marcus into the debriefing room, the space was empty save for a metal desk, two silver chairs, and a camera in a corner of the room. Doctor Sanchez opted to stay in room next door which was hidden by a one-way mirror where officers and the others could observe the proceedings without notice. Both OZ officers took their place, with Marcus gently easing himself into the chair due to still suffering the strain of the Tallgeese.

"Alright here's how this is going to work. I'm going to ask you a series of questions relating to your killing of Zechs, hijacking the Tallgeese, confronting the Gundam pilots, Noin, anything and everything related to the event. While you aren't under any sort of oath, it would be best to answer honestly in order to clear any guilt that OZ or the courts would try and put against you. Since you are not under arrest and this technically isn't an interrogation, feel free to take your time and answer in any manner that you see fit. Feel free to add anything that you think would be valuable to the case." Westfield said.

"The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? Marcus asked sarcastically.

"Something along those lines."

Marcus' face then darkened as he struggled to recall the particular event that led him down to the path of killing Zechs, the horrible nightmare that started it all. "Listen, you guys probably have a really extensive bio of me in your files, so I don't really think we need to go over my whole life story. Pretty boring to be honest, even my career in OZ has never been exemplary up until this point, I'm just an MS engineer, nothing special. If you wanna go over why I killed Zechs, then we're going to have to go back a few months. To the day the Gundams took away my family. The attack on Lake Victoria."

 **A/N: So now we are done with the main drama at San Martin and we get into the meat of the story, finding out what made White's life hell and made him turn against Zechs, taking his life in Antartica. Next chapter will be a series of flashbacks from the Lake Victoria attack in episode 4, to right before Zechs and the Wing Gundam arrive. Really hope you guys like this chapter, it was fun to look into the cult of personality that Zechs developed within OZ and how that had an effect on the men. Do keep in mind though that while the POV characters may be biased against the protagonists of Wing, the ugly side of OZ and Romefeller will also be shown.**

Once again I'd like to think Synthesis and his story "Walker's Account" for the inspiration of this. One of Synthesis' OC's, Abraham Tal, makes a minor character in his role the adjutant of Duke Dermail. A good of the worldbuilding, characters, and tech moving forward will be taken from Walker's Account, though I'll do my best to spin things in my own version and take the story into an entirely different direction. Thanks for reading and Long Live OZ!


	3. Chapter 3

**April 21st, AC 195. Curtis LeMay Forge,Ohio. Federal States of America**

"What the hell do you mean OZ is cancelling the Leo?!" Shouted Flight Lieutenant Marcus White. Had he not been inside the office of his superior, Alliance Brigadier General Shawn Parker, with doors closed, White would've created a disturbance on the floor of the forge where OZ was in the process of manufacturing dozens of Leos and Ares for the Alliance. Directly across from White and sitting at his desk, General Parker, a middle-aged black man in his fifties who had served from the height of the Alliance to its current decay, sighed in sympathy of his younger OZ subordinate.

"Flight Lieutenant, the decision is beyond my authority, one that was decided primarily by your direct superiors on the Military Council along with Romefeller, Field Marsha Noventa agreeing in full." _'Damn Pacifist.'_ Thought Parker. In the previous years Noventa's calls for demilitarization made some amount of sense considering the hundreds of billions of Alliance credits poured into the world's largest armed force with only scattered guerrillas and terrorist movements providing the only real threat. The CLA, the Alliance's supposed main enemy, barely had enough resources to match the ancient Al Qaeda organization of the early 21st century. Yet Noventa was a radical in advocating for total disarmament, calls that he still made out even after the Gundam attacks which had claimed tens of thousands of lives within the past few weeks. _'The fucking traitor doesn't deserve to wear the uniform.'_ Treasonously thought Parker.

"You should be happy to know though that the illustrious Treize Khushrenada along with General Septim gave their all in fighting for the Leo, but it seems that Duke Dermail has his mind set to the issue. Not that I claim blame the man, ever since those damned Gundams landed on Earth, the Speciali have been getting their ass whooped by those five machines, cutting through hundreds of Leos and Ares as if they were made of paper. Makes me wonder what the hell we've been working on for the past twenty years if this model is supposed to be the frontline unit for the Alliance." Parker paused in his speech and looked to White standing in front of him, his eyes lowered down to the ground in shame. It was only then that Parker realized that White was a member of the Speciali, and he had just insulted them right in front of him. Parker cleared his throat, "I apologize for my words Flight Lieutenant. You've been working with me so long that sometimes I forget that you're part of OZ and think of you as fellow Alliance. I didn't mean to disrespect the dead, those boys and girls were fine soldiers who should've never lost their lives to those demons. It's just that it's been two weeks and so much has been lost without a single casualty for the enemy. We lost the entire Middle Eastern just four days ago."

Unlike most other OZ officers that Parker had encountered, White never assumed himself with an air of superiority and arrogance that was typical to the men and women under the leadership of Treize Khusrenada. He was a polite and diligent young man who worked hard into each project that went his way and had an incredible work ethic when he set his mind to something. Still, even if Parker thought lowly of OZ much like the rest of his fellow Alliance Generals, he never once believed they deserved such tragedies at the hands of the Gundams.

"I know you didn't mean it like that General. I'm frustrated too, just thinking about everyone we lost for their wretched crusade makes my blood boil." Said White, curling his fingers into a fist upon relaying images in his mind of the video footage of the Gundams taking out multiple Leos with little effort. "I know that our current Leos can't possibly match the Gundams, I don't think anyone ever thought of this kind of scenario when designing them. But I know with the Leo-X, our boys can have at least somewhat of a fighting chance. The Gundams will be taken down soon and both OZ and the Alliance need a grunt worker to continue its job of protecting the Earth. It's not like we're going to face a whole army of Gundams." _'Then again, no one thought that we'd be facing off five Gundams until just two weeks ago. And look at what our efforts gotten us.'_

"Do you at least know what's going to replace the Leo? I know that the Taurus is going to be our primary space suit, and presumably we're still going to use the Ares for air combat. But surely we've got something in the works for a ground unit?"

Parker shrugged his shoulders in response, "How should I know? I'm just the manager for this plant after all, no one sends me designs to approve, I just make sure they go into production. In reality I should be asking that question to you White, OZ is responsible for creating all of our suits after all."

White slightly blushed red in embarrassment at forgetting his place. With so much of his time primarily spent around the mobiles, White often forgot that he was the highest ranking Speciali on site and the most senior MS engineer. Something that he never bothered taking much pride in as his work was far from prestigious compared to some of his comrades in the Speciali. "That may be true sir, but I'm not a Lieutenant Colonel or even a Squad Comm. Even if I'm an engineer I mostly take part in fixing flaws and making improvements, I've never designed my own suit before. I'm mostly kept out of the loop unless there's a specific project required." _'How the hell is it that people like Walker can gain His Excellency's attention and patronage, yet I'm still at the bottom of the totem pole?'_

Parker nodded in understanding, "I wasn't told much, mainly that the Barton Foundation has it taken care of for now and we'll get an update on the situation within the coming weeks. The good news is that Leo production will still continue, they probably won't roll out the new suit until late 196 at the very least, so we'll still be in business moving forward."

"Sir, can I at least implore you to save the X and keep it from being scrapped? If given enough time I can make something workable and hopefully present it to the Military Council as a more feasible solution. The Bartons aren't really big fans of OZ anyways so I have my doubts on any deal being finalized through that end. I promise it won't take up too much time and I'll shift focus if demands need to be met. I beg of you sir, at least give me until June." Pleaded White.

Parker rolled back his chair in contemplation for a few seconds. The men and women under Parker's command at LeMay had spent much of the past eight months working on the Leo-X and to completely give up right now would be an extreme waste. Plus there was the fact that most of the concerns about the Leo were due to fearmongering surrounding the Gundams, if the Gundams were defeated soon then the Supreme Military Council might change their mind. "All right White, I'll give the go-ahead. Corsica did keep the Tallgeese in storage for two decades and it hasn't done a damn thing but collect dust, I'm sure they won't mind if we do the same with the X, with the intent of actually achieving results instead of becoming a museum piece. Why don't you go ahead and have your lunch break, I'll break the news to our crews shortly. Just remember to not slip up on our other demands. With all the losses taken, orders for Ares and Leos are as high as ever, and we can't afford to not play our part for the war effort. Dismissed."

"Sir!" Saluted White at attention, turning at the brisk of his heels and proceeding outside of Parker's office. White then proceeded along the gangplank on the third floor where he looked to his left to see the aforementioned Leo-X sitting in place, its maintenance crew absent for consuming their lunch break. The Leo-X was a variant of the current Leo with a much bulkier appearance thanks to the addition of 95 cm thick titanium plating on the joints, limbs, and cockpit of the Leo. The head was more round in a manner resembling the Aires, and its boosters were complimented by an additional jump pack with four funnels on its back. Ever since coming back to LeMay after his brief stint at Lake Victoria with the Taurus, White had dedicated plenty of hours into ensuring that the X was a success. The thought of seeing it all go to waste saddened and frustrated the young Speciali. _'Treize better get his act together and get rid of those damned Gundams. We're running out of pilots at this rate and OZ might collapse at the end of the year if something isn't done.'_

Shaking his head off the current somber thoughts, White tried to put on a brighter mood and proceeded with a fast pace towards the tele-conference room. While usually he would eat by himself in the mess hall and read a book or some other activity, White had other plans for today. He had an important call to make and he didn't want to miss it.

After a few minutes traveling White entered the room, with few other occupants besides a mechanic and an Alliance MP. Ignoring their activities, White found an open spot and situated himself in front of the monitor. He typed in a number and waited for a few seconds to respond. Suddenly the machine came to life and the black screen was replaced with the image of a young Californian teenager with dyed blond hair tied in a ponytail and a smile on her face to match her sparkling eyes. She was dressed in the cadet uniform that was provided by the Lake Victoria Academy, OZ's premier officer candidate school.

"Hey Big Bro! I thought for a sec that you ditched me. Probably got a lot of cute co-workers that you'd rather be having lunch with than your little sister."

Marcus laughed at the remark, "The women here are alright Lizzie but there's nobody who's caught my eye. Besides there's no one that I'd ever ditch you for. Not even Treize."

"Careful Marcus, that sounds like insubordination." Said Elizabeth White, Marcus' younger sister. Both Whites gave a light chuckle at the comment. Unlike most sibling relationships that he knew, Marcus was extremely close with his younger sister and both had loved each other highly. Ever since she was born, Marcus has a soft spot for Elizabeth, or 'Lizzie' as he liked to call her, and made sure to be there for her and become the best older sibling he could be. While both had grown some distance apart since Marcus had joined OZ, they kept in contact regularly and he spent most of his time on leave with her. Marcus in many ways was a major reason why Lizzie even decided to join the Speciali cadets in the first place, graduating in just a few weeks.

"How are things at the Forge? You seem a little tired?" Asked Lizzie, noting the slight stress on Marcus' face from his earlier revelations of the status of the Leo-X.

Marcus sighed in slight irritation, wishing for the umpteenth that the Gundams never landed on Earth. "I'm fine, production's increasing thanks to all the demands for replacements because of those fucking Gundams..."

"Language!" Lightly taunted Lizzie, "I can understand why you feel that way though. That's all everyone talks about on campus these days. Miss Noin even has us running simulations on what to do if we face them."

 _'God, is it that close already? Will she be thrusted into the front-lines so soon after graduation?'_ Marcus wished dearly that Lizzie would never have to face a Gundam in her life, and that by the time she was combat ready at all that the Gundams would be dealt with for good. She had good grades in her combat practice, though he didn't have nearly enough faith to think she could take one down on her own. _'At least she's at Lake Victoria where she'll be safe and away from the fighting.'_

"As I was saying, productions been increasing to max levels and everyone's busting their ass off to keep the lines rolling. I also got some bad news in relation to a prototype project today, though I can't share anything with you yet. Things could be better but they're okay for now. How about you?"

"Oh you know, same old same old. Kicking butt in the simulators and making high A's all around. Things have been getting interesting on campus for the past few days though. Miss Noin is preparing your the Taurus for transport later today and some of the other cadets and I took part in prepping them for flight." Lizzie said, referring to the Taurus units that Marcus briefly worked on, though never got to see it finished. Lizzie knew all about the Taurus due to her time at Lake Victoria and the campus' rather lax attitudes towards information in regards to the Speciali Cadets, With secure comms they could share this sort of information and it wasn't exactly too much of a secret inside OZ and the Alliance. "Oh and you'll never guess what happened today. Zechs freaking Merquise came today! And he's even hotter in person!" Lizzie said, squealing in a high pitch tone and blushing like a fangirl.

Lizzie's actions amused Marcus slightly, though it made him curious why Zechs of all people was at Lake Victoria. "What's the Lightning Count doing at Victoria? Is he delivering a seminar, taking care of the Taurus?" Asked Marcus.

Lizzie merely shrugged her shoulders in response. "Beats me, probably the latter I assume. After all there's no one better to handle security than the man who took down Zero One. If only I could ever be half the pilot as him." Lizzie said, sighing in jealousy.

"Come on Lizzie, you're a damn good pilot and you're far better than I ever will be. Heck I bet you could outfly in circles around most of the Speciali in an Aries." Marcus said, Lizzie slightly blushing in the praise.

"Yeah right, I know I still got a long ways to go. I'm fine in an Aires or Land Leo, but space warfare is still something I'm trying to perfect. It always makes me wonder just how the hell the CLA and the Space Forces can put up a fight in a vacuum with hundreds of kilometers for an open battlefield. Back on Zechs though, I did manage to get to speak for him for a few minutes and he's just as much as his reputation makes him out to be. The man just radiates awesome and he's so handsome with that cape and mask. He gave me a few tips on space combat and overall leadership in the field. It's a shame though he probably sees me as nothing more than some schoolgirl, though to be fair even if I was around your age I don't think I could compete with Miss Noin."

"What are you talking about?" Marcus didn't really want to indulge in his sister's crush on Merquise, knowing it was just a passing fade and something that Lizzie would eventually grow out of like most of the female along with a few male members of the Speciali. Marcus though had always heard rumors concerning Zechs and Noin and he didn't want Zech's presence to affect Noin's behavior. She was looking after the safety of Lizzie along with a couple hundred young men and women who would become OZ's finest.

"She always denies it but it's pretty obvious that Miss Noin has it bad for Zechs. And I'm talking real bad, like what you had for Janice Kurowski bad."

"I told you we'd never discuss about her again!" Marcus snapped back, though Lizzie seemed not to care.

"She always finds a way to talk about him on a daily basis, usually in lessons where she lectures us on what Zechs would do and how he wouldn't screw up like how some of us do occasionally, putting him on a pedestal even above Treize. The only pictures I've seen in her office of those with her and Zechs, and when I saw them together she was glued to him the entire time and always seemed happy when she was looking at him. I think Zechs cares as well, he just doesn't want to show it in front of the rest of us. It's pretty cute!"

"That doesn't seem like very professional behavior of your commanding officer. Maybe I should report her."

"Oh come on bro, she's not that bad. At the end of the day she always manages to watch over us and take care of every one of our needs. She may seem harsh sometimes in training but that's only because she said so herself that she doesn't want any of us to die in the field. Heck I wouldn't have done as well as I am today if Miss Noin didn't tutor me and teach me the art of mobile suits. In a lot of ways she's like the big sister I never had!" Lizzie said, her face beaming with pride on her teacher. Such a remark though hurt Marcus on the inside as it only served to remind him of how little direct time he spent with his sister in these past few years. "Plus it's not like she's unjustified with her praise of Zechs, he is practically the best Ace that we have in the entire Earth sphere. And he managed to take down a Gundam when so many people couldn't even make a scratch." Said Lizzie, her face slightly crestfallen from memories of reading numerous reports of OZ's fallen soldiers to the Gundams.

The mention of the Gundams again brought up a very real fear that Marcus had been having for the past few weeks, one that he believed might come true in the near future. "Lizzie, about the Gundams...when you graduate please promise me you won't be a hero and try and take them down."

Lizzie's face after that remark was one that bore hurt feelings at his request, like Marcus had just told her that she was a no-good worthless pilot. "What are you trying to say? That I should just run away from my comrades when the times comes?! Let them die and not even fight back against the terrorists?! What the hell have I been doing in Africa for the past four years if you want me to abandon my training and not do my duty? What right do you even have to say such a thing? You're a career non-assegnatti and barely have any combat logged in!" Lizzie said, her face scrunted and red with anger to show her frustration. A few seconds after she let her mind off, she instantly regretted upon seeing the shame in his eyes and looking down at the console in absolute guilt and embarrassment.

"I...I'm sorry Marcus. You're a good officer. I didn't mean any of that, I swear!"

Marcus smiled bittersweetly at the remark, "I know, I should've phrased myself better. Everything you said wasn't wrong though. In many ways I don't have a right to speak to anyone about combat. The only reason I managed to graduate Lake Victoria and become a Speciali was due to my skill in repairing and improving mobile suits, even though you'll only advance in OZ by flying them. I've always known that you have the potential to be a much better pilot than me Lizzie. Whenever I talk about how you're going to become an Ace and rise through the ranks, I'm not lying or just trying to flatter you. I actually believe that you have what it takes. However here's the thing, in the Speciali it's a general rule of thumb that you'll be the best of the best, MS pilots that few can ever compare to. Average pilots like me are the exception, not the standard. Yet despite the fact that there are hundreds of veterans who have near equal skill to you or are superior, they all died within the past few weeks. All because of five Gundams that nobody can seem to get a scratch on. Even Zechs himself couldn't kill it, he just disabled Zero One and took it to the bottom of the Atlantic, and yet if reports are to be believed it still managed to come out there unscathed thanks to Zero Two. Something big is going to happen to OZ in the future, hell probably the whole Earth sphere, I just know it. With how ugly things are getting out they're not going to baby you guys and transition you into active duty, they'll send each and every one of you to the front lines. And if you face one of those...one of those _things_ , I don't think you can come out on top."

Marcus let out a long sigh after his soliloquy, then taking a deep breath to compose himself and prevent his fears from overtaking him. Whatever the Gundam's goals were it was a known fact that it included the complete and utter destruction of OZ. Marcus didn't care so much about if the Gundams took him, the thought never even occurred to him too much as he had few regrets in life overall and he didn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. But Lizzie, she deserved better. She deserved to live.

An awkward pause lay between the two siblings who were separated by half the world. Eventually Lizzie chose to break the silence, "Marcus, I know all of those things. All we've talked about for the past two weeks is the Gundams, and our own mortality was a frequent topic. Pretty morbid if you ask me." Lizzie said, laughing awkwardly. "Yes I could die from the Gundams. But I can die from a lot of other things. Diseases, accidents, murder, natural disasters; there have been plenty of veterans in the past who survived the most brutal conflicts, only to die of the stupidest and most mundane causes. If I go out in combat then I at least want to go protecting my comrades and fighting for what I believe is right. I didn't come to Lake Victoria just to be like you. I knew what was going to happen when I signed up, why I'm going to have to do what's necessary. If I do face the Gundams, then I'm going to face them head on and stop their actions with everything that I can. That way I can make a better future. For the soldiers of tomorrow." Lizzie finished, a large smile forming on her face and her eyes shining brightly with courage and passion in her future work.

On the other end Marcus couldn't help but smile to, proud at everything his sister said. "Lizzie that's incredible. I..." Before Marcus ever got a chance to finish the stream cut off and static remained on the monitor. Consuming it for several seconds until the monitor went back to the screensaver with the Alliance flag. _'What the hell?'_

Marcus looked around, only to see the few others at their monitors continuing their conversations as normal. _'Did Lizzie's computer break?'_ Marcus exited out of the booth and went over to the others. "Hey guys, is everything alright? I was just talking to my sister when the connection broke off. Something wrong with the Wi-fi?" The response that came was a series of negatives followed by questions of what happend and if everything was alright. In response Marcus thanked them and made his way back to his station, trying to see if he could reconnect. And if that didn't work he would probably contact the Main office at Lake Victoria and see if everything was alright.

Before he got a chance to do so however, he heard a yell in the far off distance that would forever haunt him to this day.

"HOLY SHIT EVERYONE! LAKE VICTORIA'S BEEN ATTACKED!"

Everyone who was within the room paused what they were doing and the air became dead silent. The exclamation must have been heard throughout the whole forge as not even the sound of servicemen conversing or the production of mobile suits could be heard. Those who were within the conference room all turned their eyes towards Marcus, the only OZ personnel within the room and the one who was probably affected by it most due to himself being a Lake Victoria graduate. However Marcus was hit harder than probably every other OZ and Speciali member onsite. For he had something more personal at stake, the possible passing of his kin.

For what seemed like an eternity, Marcus stood still like a statue. His body in total shock of what had just happened. Within his mind he began connecting the dots, how Lizzie's connection broke as soon as said attack must have took place. The fact that the screen automatically cut out, and no sounds of an alert siren were heard, then that could have only meant one thing, they attacked the Student's barracks first.

Marcus dropped onto his knees on the ground. Head held low and arms stretched across as if he was in the middle of a pushup. Hot tears began to roll down the young Flight Lieutenant's eyes. _'Who the hell would attack Lake Victoria. It's one of OZ's most secure sites and has a whole battalion of mobiles? Who would go after...the Gundams.'_ In a cruel and ironic twist of fate, the same Gundams who they had discussed the possibility of taking Lizzie's life in combat, had just killed her at that same moment.

"LIZZZIIIEEEE!"

 **Present**

Back at the interrogation room in Buenos Aires, whatever presence of calm and control that Marcus had while speaking his story broke completely. The man was on the table bawling and letting loose a tsunami of tears, staining his uniform with tears and snot. While some would find the scene pathetic, Squadron Commander Henry Westfield would strongly disagree and beat the crap out of all those who thought of such a thing. While OZ had been viciously under constant attack by the Gundams since April, no battle was as brutal or heartbreaking as Lake Victoria. At the time of the attack out of all the Speciali who were on active duty, about 90% were graduates of the famed institution. Even Treize Khusrenada himself hailed from the class of 187 as their valedictorian. To almost every Speciali it was as if a piece of their soul had been ripped from them by the Gundams. Even Westfield himself had broken down into sadness and depression upon hearing the news, something which was an added tragedy to the loss of his friend Mathew just days before. Yet everything that Westfield went through at that time paled in comparison to Marcus. In a way the Flight Lieutenant had watched his only sibling die right in front of him. He lost his sister to the Gundams before she even graduated from the damn school, not even being able to receive the honor of dying in the line of duty. Just another victim of a senseless massacre thanks to the Gundam's mindless vendetta against OZ in their warped crusade.

For several minutes Marcus sat their bawling his emotions out, suppressed memories all coming back to him. At one point Doctor Sanchez came in and looked as if she wanted to end the proceedings, however with a wordless shaking of his head and halt of his hand, Westfield told her not to. Marcus had to get this out of his system if they were going to move forward in the debriefing. Based on how everything connected with the Gundams causing his sister's death, Noin failing to save her students and then switching to helping the Gundams without a care in the world, and Zechs leading the whole fiasco even though he was right there at Lake Victoria when 05 reigned its death and destruction; Marcus would most likely see this to the end. Henry Westfield would do everything he could to make sure that Marcus was avenged.

Eventually Marcus managed to calm himself and stopped his sobbing. Wiping his face with his sleeves and taking several deep breaths to calm his nerves. "I'm very sorry Squadron Commander for you having to see that. It was very unprofessional of me."

Westfield reached his hand towards Marcus' grasped it in affirmation. "You have nothing to be ashamed of Flight Lieutenant. I'm sure there are hundreds of men and women within OZ who had similar experiences to you. Hell, I lost my best friend at Corsica. The fact that the Gundams chose to attack your sister on campus, when she was a noncombatant and didn't have a chance to defend herself, is absolutely disgusting and pure cowardice of the worst kind. The Gundams took something from all of us, in your case it was very personal."

Marcus nodded slightly in affirmation, "You know it's pretty damned funny. Everything that happened to me after Daybreak, turning against the Alliance, killing several of our former comrades, having to take part in the New World order that Romefeller's making, it didn't bother me a damn bit. Some people formed PTSD, yet I hardly gave a single damn about those I killed. Yet Lizzie, her being slaughtered by that piece of shit, it haunts me. Every single goddamn night I dream about her, watch her die from the Gundams and I'm powerless to do anything about it. It'd be one thing if it was just the Gundams. But Noin, that fucking whore, she watched my sister die. She let all of her students die at the hands of the Gundams, and didn't do a damn thing to stop them. Even though she watched Lizzie and the others die, THE CADETS WHO SHE SWORE TO PROTECT, she didn't give a damn. She didn't pledge her life to take down the Gundams and avenge her students, instead she just quit OZ and joined some fucking Scandinavian Hippie, proclaiming that it's all OZ's fault and the Gundams are righteous in their quest. If Noin were right here right now, I'd kill the bitch. I'd strangle her and then take a knife and chop her into pieces, then feed her to the dogs like the trash she is.

But then again it might not be her fault, after all helping the Gundams wasn't her idea. OH NO! It was all her precious Zechs' master plan. He gave safe harbor to those monsters. Fucking kids who committed mass murder for no reason at all. He sheltered Zero One and Zero Three and repaired their Gundams. All so the lunatic could have A FUCKING JOUST!" Marcus said, frequently shouting in his speech and causing his skin to turn light red, breathing faltering and eyes bloodshot from his anger.

Marcus collected himself for a couple of moments, then continued talking, "Now you know why I hate the Gundams. Why they, Zechs, Noin, and every single one of those bastards I worked with at Antarctica deserve to be put in front of a firing line and shot! Now that, that's out of the way, I'll skip ahead to what you really want to know. How I came to Antarctica, and how I made myself a part of this conspiracy, and eventually killed Zechs."

 **June 23rd, AC 195. Midway Base. St. Louis, Missouri. Great Plains Confederacy  
**  
It was late in the night for OZ's Midway Base, a facility named so for being the center of North America and the hub of all military traffic in North America, at least for OZ and those nations who swore their allegiance to Romefeller. The place had once been a strong center of Alliance operations, being jointly run by both them and the Army of the Great Plains. Since Daybreak the Great Plains had assumed direct ownership of the base, leasing it to OZ and letting them use it as one of their centers of operation for the ongoing war for North America. The mobile pilots stationed there had seen their extensive amount of conflict, taking part in the ongoing Utah War and the increasingly frequent skirmishes between the various Great Powers of North America; primarily Canada, the Federal States, Great Plains, and California. For now however most of the base was quiet, their flights done for the day and the men and women of OZ turning in to gain some rest for the flight tomorrow. Most were either asleep, training, or conversing in social activities with their comrades. Flight Lieutenant Marcus White did nothing of the sort, instead sitting on his bed in his room with the lights turned off, just staring at the ceiling for what seemed to be hours.

Since Lake Victoria, Marcus had never really taken the loss of his sister well. There were several nights were he silently cried himself to sleep, only to be consumed by nightmares of her loss. If it wasn't for the fact that Marcus was one of a limited number of MS engineers, and that his combat performance during Daybreak seemed to excel than ever before, than his unit's doctors would've declared him unfit for duty and pulled him off immediately. Unfortunately these were desperate times and with a huge number of OZ's veterans having perished at the hands of the Gundams, they needed every warm body they could get their hands on. Especially someone as talented in engineering as Flight Lieutenant White.

Whatever Marcus was thinking of, if he was thinking of anything at all, stopped when his computer monitor began to flash with a message. Marcus sat upright and was confused at what was happening. Very rarely did he ever get any calls, most of his calls during his time at OZ being ones to Lizzie, something which didn't happen anymore for rather obvious reasons. The last time he had even talked on the computer was a few days ago with his mother, and neither of his parents would call this late at night. Getting up from his bed, Marcus lazily walked over to his computer and began to respond to the message, rubbing his eyes of the exhaustion. The image that came on the screen shocked him greatly, for the man infront of him was none other than one of the most powerful individuals in the Earth Sphere, Treize Khushrenada.

"Flight Lieutenant White, I apologize for calling at what appears to be a bad time. It's early morning here in Luxembourg and it appears that I forgot to notice the time differences." Introduced Treize, his voice being spoken in the rather suave tone that he was well-known for.

Marcus immediately sat upright and at attention. "Your Excellency, it's an honor! I do have to ask though why are you calling me? Don't you have more important things to do? Like planning for the war in Space or taking care of the brushfire wars all around the planet?" Marcus was immensely confused at the sudden social call. He had rarely spoken with Colonel Khushrenada in the past, nothing beyond some polite conversation about the ongoing production of mobile suits whenever Treize conducted one of his regular visits at OZ's production facilities. Marcus couldn't possibly fathom why Treize would contact him.

Treize gave what appeared to be a light chuckle of amusement. "My job Flight Lieutenant is one that includes numerous responsibilities. With the recent victory over the Gundams in Siberia, the war has been going rather well for OZ aside for a few isolated incidents. Lady Une along with others underneath my command are overseeing the greater day-to-day affairs, giving me some rather free reign to attend to other matters. As for the purpose of this particular call, I have an assignment for you that I would personally like to see done."

 _'The hell does he want, for me to go to space? Take part in producing the new Taurus lines?'_ "What would you desire for my services Your Excellency?"

"Flight Lieutenant, while OZ considers all of those who serves under our banner to be equal brothers and sisters in arms, there are a select few who are perhaps more equal than others. The Mobile Suit Engineers. You select few are exceptional individuals who hold the greatest knowledge within the Earth sphere that is essential to modern warfare, the theory of mobile suit creation. Our Mobile Suits are what gives us power. The monopolization that OZ has on these gallant knights gives us the greatest edge on the battlefield that few can dare to match. It is because of this that Daybreak is a success, and we have been able to install a new age for mankind. Sadly men and women like yourself have become rare and precious resources in these recent days. Many have lost their lives in the Gundam attacks, some have died valiantly in honorable combat against the Alliance, while others have quit OZ due to disagreements with the Foundation's plans for the future. Engineers such as yourself are like a Koi in a pond full of goldfish, a very valuable breed."

 _'Can you stop with the boring speeches and get on with it?'_

"In short, your skills as an Engineer shall be required for an important task in the future, the creation of a new mobile suit. The events since Operation Meteor have brought a new light on the state of our Mobile Suit Troops. Along with the rather pitiful performance of the Leos against the Gundams, our aquatic mobile suits, the Cancer and Pisces units. These two mobile suits had the worst performances of any of our classes against the Gundams, not even offering a shred of a proper fight. This has been something that the Supreme Council has been complaining since their introduction, and recent events after Daybreak have only affirmed their resolve. On that end we are going to cancel both Cancer and Pisces production to focus on the Taurus. In the meantime we'll need a new aquatic mobile suit that can replace their jobs. Combining the functions of the two and creating a grand knight that shall rule the waves uncontested. This is a task that I would require of you Flight Lieutenant."

Within his room Marcus was simply dumbstruck. For the first time in his career, Marcus White was being given a highly prestigious job that would shape the future of mobile suit warfare to come. _He_ would be the head of this project and would create a brand new machine, one entirely of his own design. _'Lizzie, she would be happy to see this. She would love nothing more than to pilot a suit that I had made. I hope you're watching sis, cause I'm going to do this for you.'  
_  
"Sir, I'm honored that you would make such a request. I gladly accept! What are my orders know Your Excellency?"

On the monitor Marcus could see Treize smile, "I'm glad to hear of that Flight Lieutenant. You shall be transferred to our station at Antarctica tomorrow where 'Project Neptune' as I call it shall be completed. The necessary resources are already being put in place and you shall have full autonomy to work in any way you see fit. Flight Officer Vladimir Zhorkov is currently in command and shall report to you when you arrive. Good luck Flight Lieutenant."

 **New Castle. Grand Duchy of Luxembourg  
**  
Inside his own personal office in the labyrinth that was the center of OZ's power, Treizer Khushrenada turned off his computer, having finished his conversation with Flight Lieutenant White. Reaching out to his desk, Treize grabbed a glass of fine French wine and took a deep sip, savoring in the sweet flavor of the drink. The Count of Zurich moved his glass in a swirled motion, contemplating what he had just done. "What a time we are in, when OZ has to rely on scraps in order to get the job done." Treize said out loud, only to realize that he was all alone at the current time. Usually Lady Une would be at his side and offer her personal counsel and advice. Alas, the dear Lady was currently in space at the moment, fulfilling her duty by acting as OZ, and by extension Romefeller's ambassador to the colonies. While she had done a rather admirable job in swaying the colonials to the side of Earth, Treize missed her presence all the same. Though he would never admit it, Une was a dear companion that had a special place in the Count's heart, her absence having formed a small vacuum in his life.

Back on the matter at hand, while Marcus White was by no means a bad engineer, actually performing admirable results in his previous assignments, he simply wasn't qualified for the job at hand. The creation of a brand new class of mobile suits was a precious and delicate process that required the brightest minds on the subject. When Treize had said that OZ was low and in desperate need of men like White, he was not kidding, far from it. OZ's personnel had been hit hard by the Gundam attacks. While on the outside they maintained an image of strength and invincibility, several critical blows had been dealt and numerous tens of thousands of experienced personnel with valuable skills had been lost, virtually priceless soldiers gone. The Engineers were no exception and they were dwindling with each month, most of them in OZ's employ having been snatched by Romefeller and out of Treize's personal authority.

 _'Ironic that in the end OZ's hoarding and selective breeding of elites with knowledge of mobile suits could prove to become its downfall.'  
_  
White wasn't Treize's first choice for the matter, in fact if he could the Colonel would've selected Flight Lieutenant Oswald Walker, a brilliant young man with an exceptional mind on mobile suits. Having taken part in the restoration of the Tallgeese and the early design and creation of Epyon. However Walker had become a rather busy man since Daybreak and had taken part in numerous operations in Eurasia to help cement OZ's control over the Earth, his unit having had incredible success against the enemy. Similar to Walker, there were numerous soldiers with similar skillsets who likewise were occupied in their respective roles in helping to wrap up the ongoing territorial conflicts on Earth and the emerging War in Space. Then there were men like Tubarov who were solely coveted by Romefeller and were put to work on the Foundation's latest weapon, the Mobile Dolls. An abomination to the chivalry of war and the honor of combat in Treize's mind. In short Marcus White was not selected because he was the right man for the job, rather he was one of the remaining few who was free to do so.

"Oh well, it matters not. Aquatic suits were never really where the strength of OZ laid behind. I'm sure Sir White will get the job done and create adequate results." Treize said, once again talking to himself. Treize then proceeded to slowly empty his glass, then set it down and exited his office to check up on the ongoing construction of Epyon, the Suit that would become his valiant knight on the battlefield and return war to what it was meant to be.

In the following weeks Treize would come to immensely regret the decision that he had made just minutes ago. For by doing so he set in motion events that caused the death of his dear friend, Milliardo Peacecraft.

 **July 14th, AC 195. Barclay Kamb Naval Staion. Antarctica.  
**  
Within his personal office that he had just moved in weeks ago, Marcus was for the umpteenth time going over the blueprints for the new mobile suit he was creating. What would hopefully be eventually christened as the OZ-14MS Poseidon. The suit was just entering its final drafts and was looking to be of design similar to the Pisces, one with a thick and large cockpit area along with numerous thrusters along the backside, built in beam cannons in the arms with its hands forming large claws that would be far deadlier than those featured on the Pisces. Lastly would be shoulder-mounted torpedoes that could be switched with a missile package for attacks against ground targets. Currently Marcus was trying to figure out how exactly to add a sort of backpack that be used as storage for portable mines. Something he was nearing success with.

A light knock on the door interrupted Marcus' thoughts. Sighing, he set aside his blueprints for the moment. "Come in." in strode FO Vladimir Zhorkov, a tall and well-built Siberian who served as Marcus' second in command. "Sir there has been a sort of development." Said Zhorkov in his thick Slavic accent.

"A development, what do you mean? Has there been an accident in the workplace?"

Zhorkov shook his head, "Nothing of the sort. However a Tupelov just arrived, bringing numerous equipment and personnel. At the head of it is Flight Lieutenant Lucrezia Noin, with her are several men, some OZ, some looking like civilian contractors."

"Noin, what the hell is she doing here? I thought she retired just a while ago. Rumor has it she's serving as the bodyguard for some Princess." Marcus said, chiding himself for not paying more attention to the recent gossip and ongoings of OZ.

The thought of raven-haired Italian brought much conflicting thoughts to White, many of them dark. Noin had led the Defense of Lake Victoria when Unit 05 attacked. With almost her entire unit getting wiped out and 05 getting away scott free, Noin reportedly failing to shoot the pilot while he was on foot and being given mercy by him due to the pilot's rather sexist (and some would say misogynistic) viewpoints. Part of Marcus blamed Noin for Lizzie's death ever since that day, that she was to blame for everything that transpired. _'Calm yourself White. You're acting irrational. She's not to blame, the Gundams are.'_ Marcus took a deep breath to calm his anger and put away whatever feelings he had about Noin.

"I'm unsure myself Flight Lieutenant. She does have her uniform on and is claiming to be acting under Lieutenant Colonel Zech's orders. She also asked for a meeting to be arranged in the Conference Room. I know it's rather unorthodox, but I did oblige and..."

"No need to worry Flight Officer. These are rather strange conditions but I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of this. Go ahead to the Conference Room and I'll meet up with you in a minute. For now let's entertain Noin and see what she has to offer."

"Sir!" Zhorkov saluted and then turned his heel to head to where Noin was gathering the base's senior personnel. Deep down Marcus didn't like what was happening. It was as if Noin was calling the shots even though they were the same rank and Marcus had senior command over Barclay. Then there was the fact that she was under orders from Zechs. _'Am I being replaced? The hell's going on?'  
_  
A minute later Marcus walked out of his office and proceeded to the conference room. He found the place to be jampacked with most of the NCO's and senior mechanics on the base, along with several new faces who White had never seen before today. Front and center in front of the podium where Marcus had given a few speeches stood Lucrezia Noin, wearing a thick white coat over her uniform, looking as stunning as she usually had.

Marcus decided to walk up her and confront Noin directly. "Flight Lieutenant, just what exactly is the meaning of this?"

Noin turned her attention away from the PC she had on hand and turned to face White, her face letting on a warm smile at his presence. "Flight Lieutenant White, how nice to see you! I must admit I was rather surprised to hear that you're running the shots around here. Seems you're moving up in the ranks these days."

Marcus coughed and fidgeted slightly at the praise, something he didn't usually receive. "Oh don't think much of it. Just doing my duty. Not like Aquatic suits have ever been OZ's priority in the past. I'm surprised though that you even bothered to remember my name at all."

Noin lightly giggled at the statement, "How could I forget the man who helped to make the Taurus units operational at Lake Victoria, you did an amazing job in helping to get them functional. We even implemented the theories for the airborne version that you came up with. Besides I wouldn't forget the elder brother of one of my favorite students, Elizabeth would go on and on about you for hours. You were an idol to her."

The mention of Lizzie only helped to sour Marcus' mood, "Thanks for your kind words. She really liked you, you know. She even said you were like a big sister to her."

Noticing Marcus' grief, Noin put an arm around his shoulder. "She was a bright kid, one of the best students I ever had. I'm proud to have gotten to know her before she passed. I know she would have made a good officer, if there is ever such a thing for a pointless organization." Before Marcus could raise a question at that last statement, Noin motioned him to sit down, "Why don't you take a seat and I'll get started. I have an important mission from Zechs. One I'll need you for in these coming days." Simply wanting to get his curiosity sated, Marcus complied and sat down in the front row. _'Good officer in a pointless organization, what did she mean? Does she still even work for OZ?'  
_  
Before Marcus could gather the conviction to confront Noin, she began her presentation. "Thank you for coming ladies and gentlemen. I know this is rather sudden and improper, but I promise it's for a good cause. I've come here directly at the request of Lieutenant Colonel Zechs, in order to fulfill a duty and help him complete his mission that he failed to complete in Siberia. With me are a couple dozen workers along with the remains of what used to be Unit 01, Wing Gundam. In the coming days we shall restore the Gundam to its former state, and give it back to its pilot so that Zechs may finally take it down with honor."

 **A/N: The Characterization of Oswald Walker along with other certain lingo such as ranks and non-assegnatti are taken Synthesis' work, "Soldier's of OZ: Walker's Account." This story is heavily based and inspired by said work, go check it out.**


	4. Chapter 4

**July 14th, AC 195. Barclay Kamb Naval Staion. Antarctica.**

 _"In the coming days we shall restore the Gundam to its former state, and give it back to its pilot so that Zechs may finally take it down with honor."_ To Flight Lieutenant Marcus White, it felt that the entire world slowed down around him and all outside forces were nonexistent. The only thing that seemed to exist in his world was Lucrezia Noin giving her speech, her still going on about the righteousness of the cause that she and Zechs were undertaking. "I know it may seem like an impossible task, but we have more than enough Gundanium in store to repair the damage that the Wing took at the hands of the Tallgeese, also with me are a couple dozen of the brightest minds on mobile suit engineering both within OZ and the private sector..." Whatever Noin was going to continue to say fell on Marcus' deaf ears, her speech becoming nothing but a blur as a certain set of words kept on repeating within his mind, "We shall restore the Gundam to its former state, and give it back to its pilot."

Anyone who bothered paying attention to Marcus could easily see the combined looks of confusion, betrayal and horror on its face. His mouth open and closed, desperately trying to come up with a response. His fists curled in frustration and tears of rage threatened to build in his eyelids. _'Come on, this has to be a dream, there's no way that Noin would actually help the Gundams right?'_ Any possibility of the current affair being a nightmare was rendered mute as the scene continued to play on and on, confirming for White that this was very much real. Relatively the only thing that had kept the young MS Engineer from going berserk up until that point was the fact that this was the Wing Gundam that Noin suggested helping, not Unit 05, the Shenlong Gundam. Had it been the same pilot and machine that has massacred the Lake Victoria cadets, then the situation would have been entirely different.  
 _  
'I've got to put a stop to this, I've got to rally everyone against her and put Noin under arrest for aiding terrorists.'_ Marcus slowly sat upwards and made a motion as if he were about to stand, almost rising and directly confronting Noin head on about her crazy scheme. Yet before he did so Marcus looked back at the audience to see who would stand with him in solidarity. Yet to his utter shock, it seemed that almost no one shared in his disgust of the current situation. Almost all of the base's crew gathered present, whether they were from the OZ corps of engineers or simply defectors from the previous Alliance force that was stationed here, all seemed to take Noin for her every word. They were entranced with the proposal that was laid out before them. Many seemed to be excited with the challenge of repairing a Gundam. Their reactions, or a lack thereof, disturbed Marcus almost as much as the blatant treason that Noin was advocating.

 _'How the hell can you people be okay with this?! They killed thousands of our comrades. They killed my sister!'_ It was as if those present were not even aware of the ongoing War against the Gundams since April, that they hadn't heard of the Gundams ruthless attacks against all those who wore the OZ uniform. The same people who just a month ago were very much valid targets for the Gundam pilots.

Seeing that no one would openly stand with him, White stood back down and slumped in his chair, no one being all the wiser. He tried to come up with some sort of plan, anything to stop the madness that was taking place right before his eyes. Unfortunately for White all that his mind could come up with were blanks. After all he wasn't some tactical genius or a model officer, he was just an engineer who was supposed to fix and improve mobile suits, not start mutinies against OZ personnel who wish to collaborate with the Gundams.

"Thank you very much for your support everyone. Zechs will be here within the week and will be very grateful for your efforts in helping him keep his honor." Marcus jerked himself to attention where it seemed that Noin had finished her speech. Shortly after everyone moved to go back to their stations, an air of confidence and excitement surrounding the room. Various positive comments were heard by Marcus which he would've sworn before today would never happen.

"Many can you believe it? We're going to get to work on a Gundam!"

"It's going to be so amazing to finally see Lieutenant Colonel Zechs in person!"

"What do you think the pilot of that Gundam is going to be like? Got to be a hell of a man to be that powerful."

 _'You goddamn traitors! Where's your morality? Where's your pride as soldiers of OZ?!'_ Out of the corner of his eye, Marcus saw Noin move towards the door in order to exit the room. He made a quick dash to get to her position, desperate to find out what the hell was going on.

"Noin, do you have a minute?" Marcus asked, rushing in front of her in order to block her from leaving. From the nuetral look on Noin's face it seemed that she was oblivious to the turmoil that was happening inside her more senior counterpart.

"Sure, do you want to talk privately in your office? I know that this may seem very intimidating, but I'm sure that if the Colonials can build five of these machines with the bare amount of resources, that we can scrape by and achieve equal results." Noin said nonchalantly.

If Marcus thought he couldn't possibly become more repulsed and aghast at the current state of affairs, each passing minute was continuing to prove him wrong. However he didn't say anything at the moment, wanting to confront Noin while she was all by herself. "Follow me." Marcus said, not wanting to continue the conversation lest he let out his rant while several of Noin's fellow comrades were with her.

The two then proceeded out of the conference room and walked down the halls of the Base towards Marcus' office. Noin's mood was objectively neutral, merely being content at having convinced the base staff to help her and Zechs in their struggle. Marcus however was the opposite, each step only contributed to his fuming mood, angering him that there was even a single person within OZ who thought that aiding the Gundams was the right course of action to take. _'I'm sorry Lizzie, I'm sorry that you had to put up four years with an instructor who values a terrorists' life more than yours.'_

At last the reached the office, Noin walking in while Marcus drifted a few steps behind, closing the door. After making sure that no one would waltz in, Marcus let his fury fly. "What the hell is going on Noin? Is this some kind of sick joke? Because I know his excellency and Romefeller would never put up with this crap."

Noin turned her head sidewise with a look that was a mixture of confusion and a feeling of insult to what White's words had said, that apparently he was in the wrong. "What do you mean Flight Lieutenant, I explained the purpose of our mission in great detail during the meeting. Where you not paying attention?"

"Yes of course I paid attention, I know pretty clearly what you want to do. You want to give the Wing Gundam to its pilot and let Zechs fight it in the Tallgeese."

"Good so then we should be pretty clear." Noin then spun on her heel and turned to face the door, she took a few steps forward before having her shoulder grabbed forcefully by Marcus, his eyes teary and full of hate and sorrow.

"No you listen here Noin, Zechs defeated the Wing Gundam in Siberia, his actions were to stop the attacks that have been plaguing our organization for the last three months, by destroying the Gundam he saved countless lives and preserved OZ in those critical weeks after Daybreak. What's the point of restoring the Wing when Zechs has proven that he is superior?! What strategic purpose does this serve for OZ, how will this help us restore order in the Earth sphere and liberate the colonies from the Alliance remnants. Cause all that's going to happen is the Gundam pilot is going to run off and kill more soldiers, bring more chaos to the Earth sphere."

Noin shook her head at Marcus' argument. "Your wrong Flight Lieutenant, Zechs didn't defeat the Gundam. Before he could deal a killing blow, Lady Une made a threat to the Gundam pilots where she threatened to launch the nukes on the barge if they didn't surrender. The pilot of Zero-One then self-destruct his machine and ran off into the night, the rest of the Gundams retreating instead of continuing the fight. By making her threat Une robbed Zechs of his fight, prevented him from ending the duel with honor. This is the only way that Zechs can properly defeat the Gundam, if lets matters stand and destroys the Gundam like Romefeller ordered him to, then it would bring great dishonor unto his character."

Noin's reasoning left Marcus speechless, his mouth physically dropped in shock at what he was hearing. While he didn't think that Lady Une had to resort to the threat of nuclear genocide against the colonies to defeat the Gundams, he had to acknowledge the effectiveness of the move, one that made sense given how few victories, if any, OZ could claim against the Gundams. However Noin wasn't horrified over the fact that Une had almost murdered tens of millions, she was more distraught that such a threat made the Gundams run away and prevent Zechs from having his perfect fight. _'Who the hell thinks like this? We're soldiers, not some glorified fantasy knights with chivalry and codes of honor.'  
_  
"Honor, just how the hell would Zechs honor be ruined?! His actions at Siberia have been revered by everyone within OZ and he's practically the greatest hero within the Earth sphere. He's the model soldier that the Commissariat likes to praise and all of the cadets, _especially Lizzie_ , looked up to him. If it's an issue about his skills then there's no goddamned need as no one would dare to dispute that he's the best pilot we have, I sure as hell aren't going to try and prove him wrong. No one is going to try and ruin his character, the only dishonor that he will bring is if he restores the Gundam and give it to the pilot that he was ordered to defeat at all costs. This is treason!"

"Treason against who, Romfeller, a bunch of self-righteous aristocrats with an allegiance to no one? Don't forget that we technically committed one of the greatest acts of treason by overthrowing the Alliance in Daybreak. Zechs isn't simply going to let the Gundam run away, he's going to defeat him and then let the matter lay to rest." _'Yet this doesn't have to be an issue in the first place if Zechs just destroyed the damned Gundam like he was ordered to.'_ Marcus thought. "Zechs' honor is a deep part of his character and to tarnish it would be to ruin him. This is something that he has to complete. To prevent him from doing so would be wrong." Noin said.

Marcus was enraged by just how delusional Noin was acting, that she seemed to forget completely about the thousands of comrades that had died at their hands, only thinking of her precious Zechs' needs. Unseen to Noin's eye, Marcus' right arm slowly reached down to his side and his hand placed on the holster. Fingers shaking as he slowly wrapped his fingers around the butt of the pistol, fingers shaking with rage and nervousness while doing so. _'I can strike her down, here and now. Point blank there would be no way she would survive. Then this madness ends. Or does it?'_

Much like earlier in the conference room, thoughts of doubt prevented Marcus from completing his task. Sure he may be able to kill Noin, but Zechs and the Gundam pilot were still out there, both escaping the justice that they so rightfully deserved. Then there were Noin's compatriots who had been roped into this scheme, not to mention how Noin had converted the crew of the base with such effectiveness that it would make a Jesuit blush in jealousy. If Marcus were to kill Noin, then he would be killed before escaping the base and the plan would just go on, after all it's not like Marcus himself was necessary, he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Or was he? _'If I play my cards just right, I can stop this scheme completely. I have to think first and come up with a solid plan. I'm not an Ace pilot or an Engineer extraordinaire, but I know about what's happening and can stop both Zechs and the Gundams. If I don't act then no one else will.'_

Surrendering to the current situation, Marcus, with extreme amounts of hesitation and self-control, pushed his pistol back in his holster and moved his hand away from the gun. He let out a large audible sigh, both part of his frustration at the current state of affairs and an attempt to fool Noin. "Alright Noin, I understand now. If this really means that much to Zechs then I'll help him fulfill his wish. He's the best pilot that OZ has, I'm sure he'll defeat the Gundam anyways.

To Marcus' surprise, Noin's mood did a complete 180 and a large cheerful smile formed on her face, "That's the spirit Flight Lieutenant. I knew that you'd see our point of view." _'Are you fucking kidding me?! I barely put up an act and she bought that crap. How gullible can you be Noin?'_ Marcus thought. Though in his reflection it wasn't too surprising considering her mission in the first place. "Come down to the hangar in a few hours cause we'll need to start right away if we want to complete the repairs on time. Thanks for helping White, this is something that I know Lizzie would want."

Marcus grinded his teeth in response and did his best to control his anger and prevent him from lashing out. _'That's not true you dumb bitch, not one second! Lizzie wasn't some cannon fodder that followed orders without question, she was smart and would've been the first one to stand up against you. I'm sorry sis, how you must be rolling in your grave because of your farce of an instructor.'_ Instead of saying such things Marcus did his best to sound pleasant, "My pleasure Noin, I look forward to working on the Gundam in these coming days."

Satisfied with having seemingly resolved the situation, Noin turned around and headed out the door, heading into the base to complete whatever task she needed to at the moment. Following her close the door, Marcus slumped back into his chair and stared straight at the ceiling. Silence reigned for several minutes, the only stimuli that was affecting Marcus were the hot and salty tears running down his face.

 **Present**

"Wait a minute, wait a minute! So you're telling me, that Lucrezia Noin just waltzed into Barclay Kamb, straight up told everyone that she was going to be restoring the Wing Gundam and giving it back to the pilot who murdered _thousands_ of our colleagues in these past three months, and nobody gave a damn?! You were the only one who actually knew that this was wrong and resolved to stop it, nobody else thought that Noin was fucking crazy and arrested her on the spot?! Nobody? Out of all the _hundreds of people_ stationed at Antarctica?" Westfield questioned, his face flushing red with anger over the mere thought that not only anybody would help this crazy scheme, but that several hundred members of OZ were all for it and had White not done anything could've probably resulted in Zechs and the Gundam pilots escaping scott free.

"You don't believe me?" White asked.

"No, I believe you Flight Lieutenant. Your video files are proof enough that Zechs was almost successful in his delusional plans. I just can't stomach the fact that you were literally the only man who actually had a working brain and morals. Goddammit, who the hell are we if fraternizing with the enemy is considered to be okay in OZ? Because let me tell you I'm not going to have my ass go back on the front line if my comrades are just fine with the Gundams killing us without repercussions. World's most elite force my ass." Westfield wished that he wasn't stuck in this interrogation room and that he was in his Aires on the way to Antarctica. If it were up to him he would use his mobile suit to kill all those damn traitors before they could escape the South pole. Westfield desperately hoped that Duke Dermail would deliver on his promises and see to it that everyone of the traitors would get court-martialed and brought before a firing line."

Westfield regained his composure and waited for White to resume, "Squadron Commander, I have to ask you, is everything that we're saying going to be sent to the Military Council word for word?"

"Yes, the whole purpose of this 'interrogation' so to speak is to make sure that we get the complete story for you as a primary witness in order to ensure that His Excellency along with the other members of the Council can take the proper action against those who shall be deemed as guilty and prevent further insubordination from rising in OZ. You haven't been charged with anything so you are not under threat of penalty. Speak your mind freely Flight Lieutenant, just make sure it stays relevant."

White clasped his hands together and contemplated on what he wanted to say. While he didn't want to sound treasonous or damn his chances of punishing those within OZ who supported Zechs, a nagging thought had been on his mind ever since Noin had come to Antarctica and how everyone on the base went along with it. He was already deep down in the Rabbit's hole at the moment for killing Zechs, what greater harm could speaking his mind do. "Squadcomm, you are aware of how our organization is most... _unorthodox_ compared to other armed forces in the present right?"

Westfield shrugged his shoulders in affirmation, "More or less. Unlike the national forces around the world that are currently being rebuilt under our patronage, OZ is more or less an odd blend of technocracy and aristocratic oligarchism. Our patrons and leaders come from a foundation made up of mostly European nobility that prescribe to... _traditional_ values. We have some funny quirks such as how we wear these silly Napoleonic uniforms, no one within our organization can rise above the rank of Colonel because god forbid that Treize Khusrenada or anyone beneath him become a General. And there's our whole nobility system going on, especially with pilots. Did you know that I'm actually the Viscount of Red Deer, Alberta? I was awarded the title when I was promoted to Squadron Commander thanks to Red Deer actually being my hometown. Perks of Canada still being a part of the Commonwealth after all these centuries. Life isn't bad though, despite getting our money from Romefeller OZ is one of the most progressive institutions in the Earth sphere. We don't give a crap about your race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, creed; so long as you're willing to pledge yourself to the cause you're always welcome." White knew that Westfield's last statement was more complicated in reality. While indeed his statement had some truths in that within OZ you wouldn't be openly discriminated for those categories, and the Commissariat did go out of its way to enforce equality and prevent hate crimes in OZ, there was still the fact that those who rose to power tended to be those hailing from the West and favorable to Romfeller's Conservative doctrine, not to mention nepotism for anyone who hailed from the Foundation, Treize Khusrenada and Dorothy Catalonia being two obvious cases.

"True, but I actually believe that these traditions, more specifically the involvement of Romfeller within our organization, may actually be the cause of what happened in Antartica." White said with Westfield giving a questioning look. "Now I've never been one to rag about how OZ acts like we're some chivalric order from the Middle Ages. We've been handling ourselves fine for two decades and our professionalism is what allowed us to rise above the Alliance and end their six decade reign on Earth. But recently I've come to believe that this knightly culture is starting to poison us from the inside. His Excellency is always going on about how the Mobile Suit troops are the perfect warriors of the modern age, serving with honor on the battlefield and acting as a righteous force for good and justice. The thing is though that some people are starting to take these words to heart, and in the worst way possible. Zechs Merquise was delusional because he believed that helping the Gundams was the "honorable" act and that he could not possibly defeat his enemies in any underhanded fashion, even though as soldiers it's our duty to eliminate the enemy in the most efficient way possible, methods be damned. The people I worked with in Antarctica have grown up and been indoctrinated in the chivalry that Romfeller loves to espouse, even General Catalonia was inclined to act in a similar manner. Because of this they couldn't find fault and see just how insane and plain wrong Zechs' actions were. They believed he was right because this is what OZ is supposed to do. How we're supposed to act as glorious Knights of Romfeller. I just hope there are more people like you within OZ Squadron Commander. Because if we don't start acting with some common sense then everything we've worked for since Daybreak is going to be for nothing."

Slowly Westfield found himself agreeing with White, it was all becoming clear to him how it was possible that so many individuals could follow Zechs. In many ways it would have been surprising had no one followed Zechs. "Still, the fact that anyone could have that much power is beyond belief." Said Westfield.

"It's actually not surprising Squadcomm, this type of crap has happened countless times in history. You ever heard of Jim Jones?" White asked, his superior simply shaking his head. "I can't blame you, he's a really old figure who only us Californians would be aware of. You see, Jones was a man from the late twentieth century who was infamous as the head of this cult, the People's Temple which was located in San Francisco. In many ways there's nothing special to separate it from the countless Radical Evangelical sects that exist on the fringe. They had beliefs that incorporated Communism into their doctrine and at first were pretty innocent since they helped the urban poor and were friends of the Civil Right's movement. Over time though as the organization grew, every member became indoctrinated to the core and would follow Jones' word no matter how insane his rhetoric was. The end for the Temple came in 19778 when Jones moves his followers to a settlement in Guyana he created called Jonestown. After some of his followers assassinated a U.S congressmen who came to do some fact-finding on the condition of Jones' congregation, he ordered all of his followers to commit suicide by drinking Kool-aid induced with cyanide. Those who refused to do so were forced to consume it from followers acting under Jones' orders. Hundreds died in one of the greatest terror attacks in American history. Everyone I served with in Antarctica drank the Kool-aid, every single one of them."

White then chuckled slightly, "The funny thing is though, everyone agreed to do it after just hearing Noin give her pep speech of her honor crap and how Zero One was going to engage Zechs in a duel. This was days before Zechs even set foot on the base. Imagine what these same people would do if Zechs asked them a favor in person. I guarantee you they would do anything that came out of that bastards mouth. No questions asked."

 **July 15th, AC 195.  
**  
It was early in the morning of the 15th at Barclay Kamb, most of the base's personnel were fast asleep, eagerly awaiting to being their work on restoring the Gundam tomorrow. The rest of the previous day after his confrontation with Noin, Marcus had been given a crash course of the status of the Wing Gundam and what was necessary in order to restore it. The young Flight Lieutenant would have to admit that what he was tasked was a rather daunting challenge. The reason that OZ had never thought to create Gundam mobile suits before Daybreak was due to the nature of Gundanium itself. The near indestructibility that the metal had which gave the Gundams their invincibility was a double-edged sword when it came to creating and repairing the Gundams. Because of the strength of the material one couldn't weld it and add or replace components like they would with Titanium or Steel, instead a special precise beam scalpel had to be used to cut and manipulate the alloy. And because of the fickle nature of Gundanium, each part that was put into a Gundam had to be complete and perfectly compatible, the most microscopic of mistakes making it useless. Because of this most of the next couple of days would have to be used to educate the base staff into using Gundanium production tools so that they could start the most basic prepares.

However Marcus was not planning on how to restore the Gundam, rather he was plotting how to take it down. One of the plans that he was undertaking right now was to gather as much evidence as possible to damn Zechs in the eyes of the courts and bring both him and his colleagues into a jail cell for the rest of his lives. Inside of his quarters Marcus was setting up a camera upon a tripod, the camera facing his desk. The recording device itself was requisitioned from the quartermaster at the excuse White gave that he needed to document the creation of the Gundam in order to provide another form of data to help in the ongoing process of repairs. It was true in a way and White would be filming the Gundam repair process part of the time, but the rest of the footage would be dedicated to damning everyone on the base.

Setting the camera in position and making sure that the feed would be clear, Marcus turned the recording button on and moved to sit in the chair in front of his desk, facing the camera directly.

"Hello, my name is Marcus White, a Flight Lieutenant and MS Engineer of the OZ Terrestrial Forces, currently stationed at the Barclay Kamb Naval Station on the Antarctic continent. The purpose of this video and the subsequent footage is to present the Supreme Military Council with undeniable proof of the treason that Lieutenant Colonel Zechs Merquise has undertaken. Within the past month Lieutenant Colonel Merquise has defied the orders given to him by His Excellency and the Military Council to destroy Gundam Unit 01. Instead the Lieutenant Colonel is going to fake its destruction and send the unit to our base, where he will restore it and give the Gundam back to its pilot for an "honorable duel." Along with Lieutenant Colonel Merquise, former Flight Lieutenant Lucrezia Noin is head of this operation; countless contractors and the overwhelming majority of this bases's staff joining them. In order to make sure that Zechs' crimes are brought to light and that both he and the Gundam pilots face justice, I, Flight Lieutenant White, will document the entire process and do my best to sabotage the efforts of Lieutenant Colonel Merquise and eliminate the Gundam pilot before he re-obtains the Gundam. In order to not leak out my efforts for fear of being thwarted, for at this point in time there is no exact knowing of the reach of Lieutenant Colonel Merquise or who in OZ may sympathize with him, I shall partake in this operation alone, this footage being primarily intended for the Supreme Military Council. To anyone who has found this and the footage not presented by me, then there's a good chance that I may be dead. If those outside of the Military Council do come upon my efforts, then I implore you to turn it in directly to Duke Dermail Catalonia at all costs. The Gundams reign of terror must end and Zechs' lunacy be halted before his reach corrupts the members of OZ. That is all for now."

 **July 21st, AC 195.**

It had been an entire week since Lucrezia Noin had waltzed into Barclay Kamb and recruited the naval station into her and Zech's asinine conspiracy. Since then Marcus had been unsuccessful in his work at sabotaging the Gundam. The most he had been able to do was to slow each step in the process so that it would take weeks until an eventual completion. However even without Marcus' efforts he believed that Noin would barely be able to get any restoration of the Gundam done. They had barely enough of the proper equipment to get the job done, what they had on hand being outdated models that were barely up to standard. None of the dozens of MS mechanics within the base along with Noin's contractors had ever worked with Gundanium before so they had to spend most of their time trying to come up with a basic understanding of the machine. What made things worse were how the contractors were solely men and women with past experience in maintaining and repairing civilian mobile suits, not mobile weapons, much less a Gundam. Because of this it wasn't too hard for Marcus to fool them.

However, beyond his minor acts of sabotage Marcus had been unable to come up with any valid plans that would both take down Zechs and the Gundam pilots, and let him escape with his life. Even the few plans where he was able to take down Zechs and sacrifice himself were few and mostly ludicrous in nature, all of them hedging on absolute scenarios with nothing going on and the most specific of steps being taken. The best plan he could come up with was to successfully install the Gundam's self-destruct device and connect it to a remote detonator. Then while the Wing and Tallgeese were engaged in close combat, Marcus would detonate it and kill the pilot, while hopefully damaging and maybe even killing Zechs should the Tallgeese be damaged and in close range. That was a plan that would have to be above perfect in execution. _'Dammit I'm not James Bond, I'm just a fucking engineer, not some superspy.'_

Focusing his attention back to the task at hand, Marcus was standing near a gangplank above the Gundam where he had a handful of notes on the Wing's beam saber and buster rifle. The writing was extremely messy but it was crucial as Marcus had barely any extensive experience on beam weaponry before, OZ preferring to use conventional ammunition and the most Marcus worked on such a system was his experience with the Taurus. "Dammit this job would be far easier if we could just use a fucking 195mm and a bazooka, it's not like the Tallgeese is invincible to ballistics, it's not a goddamn Gundam." Marcus swore to himself. _'Wait, why the hell am I even complaining?'_

"My Flight Lieutenant, it's seems that you've done an impeccable job. I was a bit worried when Noin said that you were placed in charge of the restoration efforts, you weren't exactly one of my first choices White. However it seems that Noin's trust seems to be well-placed. If all is well then it shall be a glorious and most honorable fight." Said a rather deep voice with a slight Scandinavian accent, one that Marcus had grown to hate immensely in the last week.

Marcus jumped at hearing said person and nearly dropped the notes to the foundry floor. Turning to his left slightly, Marcus came face to face, or rather face to mask, with a long blonde-haired and fair skinned man in a blood-red Lieutenant Colonel's uniform. It was the image of a man who was practically worshiped as the greatest hero of OZ, the Ace who took down a Gundam. To Marcus he was the worst of scum, a traitor and a man who would damn his sister and prevent her from receiving justice.

"Lieutenant Colonel Merquise. Glad you could finally join us." Marcus said, words subtly laced with venom.

 **A/N: So not much happened directly in this chapter, but it was sort of a necessary transition in order to show how Marcus began his descent against Zechs and the initial steps he's taking to try and stop the Gundam plot before it comes to fruition. Next chapter is where the excitement begins as Marcus confronts Zechs along with both Heero and Trowa, and takes his final steps to stop the duel, leading to the climactic confrontation that claims Zechs' life. Just three more chapters to go and then the story will be finished. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more.**


End file.
